News Article: First-half report card: Tide doesn’t get straight A’s, but does make the honor roll

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First-half report card: Tide doesn’t get straight A’s, but does make the honor roll
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-in-Chief
Oct. 6, 2008

As Alabama reaches the halfway point in its regular season, it’s time to take a look back at the first half and see where the 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide team in the football “classroom.”


Quarterbacks: B
This might appear to sell John Parker Wilson short at first, given that in the two biggest games of the first half (Clemson and Georgia), Wilson turned in superlative efforts. So where was a similar effort against Kentucky or Tulane? The bottom line is that Wilson has improved from last year (he pulled a C+ and D- in the first and second halves of 2007, respectively), and he’s good enough to be at the head of what is currently the No. 2 team in the country. He’s also playing probably to the limits of his physical capabilities. The biggest improvement Wilson has made in 2008 is that he’s finally accepted the fact that either eating the ball or throwing it to Row Four are better options than scrambling wildly for a big sack or throwing a pick. Alabama won’t win many games from this position in 2008 but it doesn’t appear it will lose many games, either. As for the backups, only Greg McElroy has played so far. Against Western Kentucky, he looked great; against Arkansas, not so much. Third-stringer Thomas Darrah has yet to attempt a pass in a game and true freshman Star Jackson is redshirting. Nick Fanuzzi chose to transfer just prior to the start of the season.

Running backs: A-
Two niggling factors keep this from being an A or A+ grade: Fumbling problems from starting tailback Glen Coffee, and the lack of flexibility from the fullback position. Otherwise, it’s been a stellar performance from Alabama’s backfield this year, and certainly better than most expected. Coffee has been a breakout player, rushing for 708 yards and 5 touchdowns on 95 carries (7.5 avg.) through the first 6 games. Those kind of numbers would put him on pace to get close to 1,500 yards once bowl stats are added in. True freshman Mark Ingram has been a blast as Coffee’s backup, and once Ingram gets a little more experience under his belt, he’ll probably be better than Coffee at some point in his career. There are two shockers in this unit, one positive and one negative. The positive shocker has been Roy Upchurch, who has grown into the consummate third-down back, excelling in pass protection and as a receiver and doing a decent job as a running back. The negative shocker has been the disappearance of Terry Grant. Grant, the team’s leading rusher a year ago, has been reduced to a late-game participant and special teams contributor. A special package put in for his abilities in the spring has yet to emerge. Demetrius Goode played only against Western Kentucky and is simply jammed up by numbers at this point. At fullback, Baron Huber has done a serviceable job as a blocker in limited situations, but has yet to carry or catch the ball. Jeramie Griffin has yet to even play despite a big-time recruiting reputation and an easy path to playing time.


Wide receivers: C+
Julio Jones and tight end Nick Walker have had a tremendous first half, but the good news basically stops there. Mike McCoy and tight end Travis McCall have been notable more for their blocking skills in the running game than as receivers, but McCoy’s absence in the Kentucky game due to injury showed just how vital he may have been so far in 2008. Earl Alexander has fought off injuries and has shown some spark, but lacks consistency. Nikita Stover and Marquis Maze both have ability – and Maze has ferocious speed – but both have struggled to get open. Will Oakley, who has gone from not even being on the 105 to being the first slot receiver off the bench, has also struggled to get open. True freshman B.J. Scott has just struggled, period – not uncommon for a true freshman, but disappointing given the amount of hype that accompanied him to campus. Tight end Chris Underwood’s playing time has fluctuated as the season has gone on but he’s basically the victim of playing behind two seniors. Brandon Gibson, Chris Jackson, Travis Sikes, Preston Dial and Darius Hanks have been non-factors. Gibson has yet to play, Sikes played only during trash time in one game, Jackson has been an important part of special teams but has yet to make an impact as a receiver, and tight end Preston Dial, like Underwood, simply needs Walker and McCall to graduate. The most curious situation, though, is Hanks’, given that he was a starter coming out of spring training. An injury at the end of fall camp has probably been most of the problem, but the coaches haven’t addressed it very much and so things remain a mystery. As for Jones and Walker, Alabama probably has a freshman all-American on their hands (Jones) and the SEC’s top tight end (Walker). Watching Jones develop this fall has been an amazing sight, and it’s just a matter of time before he begins to dominate even the best SEC corners. What needs to happen over the second half of the season is for the wideouts not named Julio to work on beating press-man coverage.

Offensive line: A
Given the questions surrounding left guard and right tackle heading into the season, the argument could be made that offensive line has been the most surprising group – although running back, defensive line and linebacker all have something to say about that. For the OL, it turns out left guard Michael Johnson wasn’t a question mark, but arguably Alabama’s most consistent lineman behind center Antoine Caldwell. Left tackle Andre Smith has had a strong start to the year, but first a knee injury and now an elbow injury have left him less than 100 percent. Right guard Marlon Davis has done well as a run blocker but is struggling in pass protection sometimes. He has grown into a clone of former Tide guard Marico Portis. Right tackle Drew Davis was thought to be the only true weak point on the line but he has proven to be a determined run blocker and more consistent than anyone had hoped. Like Marlon Davis, he struggles in pass protection when there’s not a tight end to help him, which renders Alabama’s occasional five-wide sets a crapshoot. As for depth, David Ross has stepped up as a serviceable guard and true freshman John Michael Boswell has had good moments as Davis’ backup at right tackle. Brian Motley, Evan Cardwell and William Vlachos have all played inside, but none has yet to make a big push. True freshmen Barrett Jones and Tyler Love have both played at left tackle, with Jones looking like the better prospect for now. While there are a lot of bodies available to play, depth has been a concern as manifested against Tulane, when Smith was not available and Marlon Davis went out with an injury, and a line that used Johnson at left tackle and Ross and Motley at the guards struggled against a decent defensive line.

Coaching/playcalling: A
Alabama hasn’t lost a single series to bad playcalling this year. On the few times Alabama has turned the ball over or had to punt, execution and not playcalling was more to blame. The first halves of the Georgia and Clemson games were as well-choreographed and elegant as a ballet – a ballet that involved crushing blocks and running backs who wouldn’t back down to anyone. The only small criticism has to do with coaching at the wide receiver position, specifically in getting Alabama’s receivers to learn how to beat press-man coverage. It would be understandable if everyone was a freshman, but in many cases it’s been the veterans that struggled with it, while one of the freshmen, Julio Jones, was the only guy not bothered by it. This could be a problem against Tennessee, Mississippi State and Auburn, three teams that have the athletes necessary to cause Alabama trouble in one-on-one matchups.

OFFENSE OVERALL: A-
Despite being ranked 104th in passing offense, Alabama gets a low A- grade due to the improvements made in the press box, at the quarterback position, along the offensive line and especially in the running back corps. The Tide ranks 14th in rushing offense, 57th in total offense, 29th in scoring offense and 55th in passing efficiency. But the Tide is greater than the sum of its parts, as evidenced by Alabama’s ability to run when it needs to and chew up large chunks of clock. Alabama’s offense may be as effective as its defense at limiting the opposition’s offensive output.

Defensive line: A-
Against the run, there is none better. Against the pass, Alabama is still searching for a consistent rush on the quarterback. Alabama’s starting line of Terrence Cody, Bobby Greenwood and Brandon Deaderick have been almost impenetrable, leading the SEC with just 50.8 yards per game rushing allowed and ranking 2nd in the country in that mark behind only TCU. Combine the starters with reserves Josh Chapman, Luther Davis, Marcel Dareus, Lorenzo Washington and Milton Talbert, and there are virtually no depth issues. Add in the Jack linebacker position, whose members frequently line up as defensive ends, and teams that can’t pass have no chance against the Tide. However, the pass rush is lacking. Alabama still has not found an adequate replacement for Wallace Gilberry, although Washington, Greenwood and Deaderick have occasionally shown signs of being able to fill the gap. Alabama has started to rely on Jack linebackers Eryk Anders and Courtney Upshaw as situational pass rushers in obvious passing situations, and it’s working. This group would be teetering on a B grade if not for the fact that they have so dominated opposing running games. There’s still room for improvement.

Linebackers: A-
This position group is probably the biggest surprise of the whole team, running backs included. Many expected Alabama’s linebackers to be around the D level prior to the season but things have worked out much differently. For the second season in a row, Alabama has taken a true freshman (Rolando McClain last year, Dont’a Hightower this year) and started him inside, and the results have been stellar. Hightower will surely garner freshman all-SEC recognition and perhaps even more than that. McClain has solidified his game since 2007 and become much more consistent. Outside linebacker Cory Reamer has played mostly situationally, given the makeup of offensive styles Alabama has faced so far in 2008, but he’s been steady in every game. But the real shocker of the group has been Jack linebacker Brandon Fanney, who went from a complete non-factor as a reserve during Saban’s first year to being a difference-maker for the 2008 club. Fanney has been good in coverage, excellent in running game control and has begun to add to the Tide’s pass rush. Reserve linebackers Eryk Anders, Courtney Upshaw and Chavis Williams have excelled as situational pass rushers, and Anders and Upshaw have seen their roles begin to expand lately to other areas. Inside play has been so good that Prince Hall, who returned from a suspension in the best shape of his college career, hasn’t been able to break into the lineup except in goal line defense.


Defensive backs: B+
Alabama had to replace two starters over the offseason, and results so far have been solid. Justin Woodall has more than replaced Marcus Carter at safety. Javier Arenas and Marquis Johnson have combined to do a good job overall of replacing Simeon Castille. Kareem Jackson continues to develop into one of the SEC’s best corners. Rashad Johnson has had somewhat of an up-and-down season but has had more ups than downs. Off the bench, Ali Sharrief has done a good job at safety along with Mark Barron and Tyrone King Jr. This is a group without any real stars so far, but the unit plays well as a group and so far has limited mistakes. Alabama is only 68th in pass defense, but 17th in pass efficiency defense, meaning among other things that a lot of yardage allowed has been of a very empty variety.


Coaching/playcalling: A
The mere fact that a defense containing a mishmash of players, some of them ill-suited to a Nick Saban defense, could be made into a Nick Saban defense is a testament to the coaching ability of the defensive staff. The biggest examples of positive influence from coaching so far have been Fanney, Reamer, Washington, Woodall and Marquis Johnson. The only thing that has stopped Alabama from pulling an A+ in this category is the use of blitz packages that sometimes ask too much of what the available talent can deliver. Otherwise, Alabama has out-planned each opponent and out-schemed everyone with the possible exception of Tulane, which at worst was a draw.


DEFENSE OVERALL: A-
Alabama has yet to allow a point in the first quarter, and has yet to really be challenged by any opponent. Although Kentucky did score a last-minute touchdown to make the score of that game close, Alabama was in control of the game from start to finish. The defense has turned into one of the league’s best and the country’s best, both. Once Alabama finds a way to fill in its missing pass rush up front, the defense will be dominating to a degree that is just plain scary.

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERALL: C
Special teams have been the clear weakness for Alabama in 2008, and each facet of this unit has experienced a breakdown in at least one game. Placekicker Leigh Tiffin is coming off an especially poor performance against Kentucky. Kickoff returns are ranked 101st in the country. Punt returns have a good statistical ranking (30th), but Javier Arenas fumbled two kicks against Kentucky, losing one of them. Punt coverage has been good – save for one return in the Georgia game that was aided by two missed penalties, which the SEC office later admitted to – but kickoff coverage was terrible the first five games. Alabama seemed to fix things against Kentucky. Strangely, punter P.J. Fitzgerald may be the most consistent thing about Alabama’s special teams right now despite being a weak spot in the armor his first two seasons. Alabama needs to focus heavily on special teams during the off-week.

OVERALL
Alabama averages out to around a B+ rating when all three elements are combined, which is good progress over the second half of the 2007 season.

In the first half of the year so far, Alabama has never trailed in any game. That’s both a good and bad thing. The good is that it shows how prepared and well-coached the team is; the bad is that no one knows how this team will respond if it gets down in a game in the future.

In short, the first half of the year went about as well for Alabama as could be expected. Alabama is 6-0, yet there is room to improve and no evidence that the Crimson Tide has peaked.