News Article: Second-half report card: Tide finally puts up strong second half

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Second-half report card: Tide finally puts up strong second half
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-in-Chief
Dec. 18, 2008

During the off-week at midseason, we took a look at the various position groups of the 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide and came up with some fairly high grades.

But in recent years, good grades in the first half of the season typically went in the same direction as the autumn temperatures – down. Not in 2008, however; Alabama held onto its momentum in the second half of the year and, as good teams do, improved in some areas despite the schedule toughening and the nearly inevitable tendency of teams to run out of gas down the stretch in the SEC.

Quarterbacks
First half grade: B
Second half grade: B
A bit of a struggle in the SEC Championship Game probably knocked Wilson down a grade step; otherwise, he had a B+ second half. Alabama didn’t ask Wilson to do anything heroic all season – just manage the game and make smart decisions. And Wilson responded, especially in overtime against LSU. Backup Greg McElroy got in several games down the stretch and threw the pass that some people believe cost Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville his job, putting Alabama up 36-0 and solidifying a blowout in that game. Thomas Darrah didn’t play in the second half. Overall, Alabama’s quarterbacks played better than expected in 2008 but didn’t excel as playmakers.

Running backs
First half grade: A-
Second half grade: A
At the end of the first half, we said two things were keeping Alabama from getting an A or A+ grade: Fumbling problems from Glen Coffee, and a lack of flexibility at the fullback position. Coffee solved his fumbling problems in the second half, and Alabama looked to be on track to improve the fullback position with Roy Upchurch, but Upchurch sustained a neck injury late in the year and didn’t play down the stretch. Still, Coffee’s fumbling problems look like a thing of the past, and given that ball security was a factor in the lower grade at midterm, it’s only fair to raise it in the second half.

Wide receivers
First half grade: C+
Second half grade: C+
There wasn’t much improvement in this group in the second half; in fact, they might have regressed – except for Julio Jones, and that’s a big “except.” Jones really came alive in the second half and particularly in a stretch of games that started with LSU and continued through the SEC Championship Game. Jones’ improvement was enough to make up for the disappearance of Mike McCoy on the other side, and McCoy eventually lost a lot of playing time to senior Nikita Stover. Nick Walker’s productivity dropped off until the last couple of games, but Travis McCall’s went up and Brad Smelley emerged to give Alabama an option at tight end and flanker. Giving Alabama fans hope for next year was the emergence of Darius Hanks as a slot receiver and flanker. If he continues to develop and improve, it will go a long way toward easing Jones’ burden in 2009. Right now, though, there’s just too much inconsistency here to justify a higher grade.

Offensive line
First half grade: A
Second half grade: A+
There’s not much you can say about this group that hasn’t been said, particularly after it produced the Outland Trophy winner (Andre Smith) and a Rimington Award finalist (Antoine Caldwell). But it was the continued development of guards Mike Johnson and Marlon Davis that really put this group over in the second half of the year, and right tackle Drew Davis exceeded everyone’s expectations. Alabama still had some issues in pure pass-blocking situations on the right side, but aside from a late sack in the SEC Championship Game, it never really became a problem for the Tide. With Caldwell and Marlon Davis graduating and Smith likely to head to the NFL a year early, Alabama fans are already wringing their hands at the prospect of having to replace this unit.

Coaching/playcalling
First half grade: A
Second half grade: A-
The lack of presence from Alabama’s wide receivers not named Julio Jones coupled with the playcalling in the SEC Championship Game have to be taken into account here. Fortunately for Alabama, those criticisms still can’t do much to mute the praise for spot-on game plans against Auburn and Mississippi State and a good game plan that was affected by mediocre execution at LSU.


OFFENSE OVERALL
First half grade: A-
Second half grade: A-
Offensive line and running back play improved, wide receiver play barely held steady and quarterback play was a tick better. The offense continued to dominate game flow, eat up gobs of clock and set the physical tone for each contest. While not flashy, this was perhaps the most effective Alabama offense since at least Dennis Franchione’s 2002 season and perhaps the 1999 season that produced a SEC championship.

Defensive line
First half grade: A-
Second half grade: A-
Alabama never cracked the code on getting a consistent outside pass rush, and nose tackle Terrence Cody was slowed for part of the second half with a knee injury. But Marcel Dareus emerged as a contributor, and senior end Bobby Greenwood turned into a force over the course of the last few games, possibly setting himself a draft-day appointment in the process. Recruiting is going to be the only thing that solves the pass rush issue; Alabama has plenty of run-stoppers on the roster but not many with the explosive first step needed to cause trouble in the backfield. In all, it was a solid year for Alabama up front.

Linebackers
First half grade: A-
Second half grade: A-
The inside linebacker positions, particularly Rolando McClain’s, improved steadily over the course of the year. As for the outside linebackers, Brandon Fanney continued to play well but leveled off slightly, while Cory Reamer had a couple of standout plays – most notably baiting LSU QB Jarrett Lee into nearly throwing an interception on a key third down – but for the most part remained a situational player. The big issue for Alabama here was that, aside from Eryk Anders as a pass-rush specialist at Jack linebacker, the Crimson Tide never developed depth. Prince Hall spent most of the year as a special teams player. Jerrell Harris played only in mop-up duty, and playing time for Courtney Upshaw got scarce. Charlie Higgenbotham virtually disappeared altogether, and Chavis Williams was benched after the Arkansas game, never to return. Alabama needs more competition and depth within this group, particularly on the outside, and the Tide’s recruiting strategy reflects it.

Defensive backs
First half grade: B+
Second half grade: A-
At the halfway mark, many fans were wondering what was wrong with safety Rashad Johnson. By the end of the year, those same fans marveled that Johnson had been named an all-American. Johnson shook off some bumps and bruises in the second half to become the most feared safety in the SEC, even more so than Tennessee’s Eric Berry, due to his sharp mind and status as an on-field coach. It didn’t hurt that he singlehandedly made LSU look stupid by picking off three passes, including one for a touchdown and another to effectively seal the game’s fate. Alabama’s grade would have shot much further up had fellow safety Justin Woodall not mellowed out his play in the second half, or reserve cornerback Marquis Johnson not ended up on the wrong end of a pair of touchdown throws in the SEC Championship Game. Still, it bears noting that Alabama drastically improved in raw pass defense numbers in the second half despite facing better opposition.

Coaching/playcalling
First half grade: A
Second half grade: A+
The defense was as close to flawless from a coaching standpoint as humanly possible. Alabama’s coaches deftly covered up talent deficiencies on the corners of the front seven and cobbled together an effective six-man rotation in the secondary. No team, not even Florida, ran roughshod over Alabama, and the Tide became known as more than just the sum of its part. As far as coaching performances go, this might have been the finest one since the 1992 national championship season, and was every bit as good or better than the one turned in by Joe Kines and company in 2005.

DEFENSE OVERALL
First half grade: A-
Second half grade: A
Alabama finally allowed points in the first quarter, but made up for it by being a second-half monster. Only against Florida did Alabama show any weakness after the halftime break. The improvements in the secondary helped trigger a waterfall effect onto the front seven, which pinned its collective ears back with greater frequency and by the end of the year, couldn’t wait to hit someone – anyone. Whereas recent Alabama defenses have wilted in the second half of seasons, this year’s unit got stronger as the season went along.

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERALL
First half grade: C
Second half grade: C+
To some, even a C+ will seem generous. But placekicker Leigh Tiffin got his midseason yips straightened out, punter P.J. Fitzgerald grew into a decent weapon and Javier Arenas continued to be a threat in the return game. Were it not for Arenas’ collapse against Florida, it wouldn’t be hard to justify the C+ rating here. Kick coverage got miles better in the second half of the year, and punt coverage was solid all season long. If Alabama could just find a bit more consistency – not to mention staying on point in its biggest games – things would be a lot better grade-wise. Look for recruiting to shore up a lot of the holes simply by infusing more talent. First priority is a kick return partner for Arenas.

OVERALL
Alabama averaged out to around a B+ rating in the first half; in the second half, the grade rises to around an A-. It’s a fitting grade for a team that finished the regular season undefeated and could go 13-1 with a bowl win over Utah. It also marks one of the greatest year-over-year improvements in the history of the Alabama program. If Alabama can bolster its wide receiver corps, pass rush and solidify its special teams, the Crimson Tide will be a consistent contender in future years.