JessN: 2009 PREVIEWS--Alabama Crimson Tide: Team Overview

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Alabama Crimson Tide: Team Overview

by Jess Nicholas
August 3, 2009

While conventional wisdom says the third year of after a coaching change is the year in which to expect championships, Alabama is approaching 2009 cautiously. Heavy losses on the offensive side of the ball coupled with still-shaky special teams and the loss of the heart of the defense (not to mention breaking in a new quarterback in the SEC) could result in a wide range of possibilities for this year’s Crimson Tide. The biggest question mark of them all could be the opener against a Virginia Tech team that plays an SEC-esque defensive scheme. If Alabama can get by the Hokies in the first game, anything’s possible, but this team isn’t likely to have as good a grasp on ball security as did the 2008 unit. Meanwhile, the acquisition of talent on the recruiting trail continues unabated.

Returning Offensive Starters: 4 (SE, FL, RT, LG)
Returning Defensive Starters: 8 (NT, LDE, OLB, RILB, LILB, RCG, LCB, SS)
Returning Specialists: 2 (P, PK)

Projected Overall Record: 10-2 (VaTech, LSU)
Projected SEC Record: 7-1 (LSU)
Projected SEC West Record: 4-1 (LSU)

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

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

OFFENSE


Jim McElwain’s offense proved to be an improvement upon the 2007 edition, primarily because it identified the Tide’s running game as a strength early in the year and proceeded to ride that train until it finally derailed in the postseason. This year, Alabama figures to still be a ground-oriented team, but the lack of an experienced offensive line and the need to diversify the attack may send the Tide to the air more often. Alabama will still base out a two-tight end set most of the time, with multiple receiver packages as needed. It’s not the flashiest offense in the conference but it doesn’t have to be.

QUARTERBACKS

For the first time in what seems like eons, the discussion doesn’t begin with John Parker Wilson. Instead, it begins with junior Greg McElroy, who won an open competition for the job in the spring handily over Star Jackson and Thomas Darrah. McElroy is cut from the same cloth as Wilson. The two are similar in size and arm strength, and both can run better than the stereotype would dictate.

McElroy is expected to do some things better than Wilson, most notably working to secondary and third receivers. Wilson’s primary weakness at Alabama was locking onto his primary receiver, but McElroy showed last year in spot duty and again in the spring that he is aware of more than just one person in the pattern. Unfortunately, if McElroy’s limited time under center is any indication, he’ll also throw more interceptions than Wilson, as he tends to take more chances. Wilson threw only 8 interceptions in 323 attempts in 2008; McElroy figures to be good for at least one and perhaps two per game and could easily double Wilson’s total.

Depth behind him is scary at the moment. Jackson and Darrah locked horns for the backup job in the spring and neither player stepped up. Jackson has obvious big-play ability, but also displayed a weakness in reading defenses. He’s also yet to make the transition from working as a shotgun quarterback in high school to being under center in this offense. Darrah, a walk-on, probably has the best pure arm strength of the three but also displayed problems in reading progressions. Darrah appeared to get a battlefield promotion to second team during the A-Day game but the safe bet is that Jackson will be given every chance to win the job in the fall. Darrah’s lack of mobility is a significant negative. Jackson and Darrah struggled so much, in fact, that incoming freshman A.J. McCarron should be considered no less than a 50/50 shot to play.

Much like McElroy’s true freshman year, a plausible scenario could be that if McElroy stays healthy and effective, Jackson and/or Darrah will fill out games. But if McElroy were to be injured for any length of time, McCarron could see game action – similar to the relationship McElroy had with Wilson and then-backup Jimmy Barnes. Walk-on Morgan Oglive is also around but didn’t play even at A-Day.

RUNNING BACKS

Glen Coffee shocked a goodly part of the Tide fan base by declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior year. His departure leaves the job up for grabs, primarily between Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch and freshman signee Trent Richardson. Ingram would figure to have the inside track given that he was Coffee’s primary backup in 2008, but if Upchurch is finally healthy, observers say he’ll be the man.

Regardless, Upchurch will play on virtually every third down and could also line up at fullback and slot receiver. He’s one of the team’s most versatile players and also began to take on a leadership role in 2008. Ingram needs to stay healthy, too, as well as work on hitting the right holes behind his line. He’s a tough runner and hard to bring down, but missed several holes in key situations last year that could have led to even bigger gains.

Richardson is a mystery until he actually plays, but Alabama hasn’t signed a running back with his physique, physical gifts and high school numbers in quite some time. For that matter, Alabama has really never had a back with his combination of build and speed. The sky’s the limit. Senior Terry Grant returns, presumably to play a scatback or slot role. If Grant ups his blocking ability, he could see a lot of action on third downs, especially if Upchurch either isn’t healthy or wins the starting job. Bruiser Jeramie Griffin was a surprise contributor late in the year and could give Alabama some spot work on short yardage and special teams.

Ivan Matchett and Demetrius Goode provide depth. Matchett is cut from the Griffin/Coffee mold and Goode is a smaller, speedier player, but neither will see much playing time unless injuries pop up, just because of the numbers crunch. At press time, Jermaine Preyear was mulling a transfer, and signee Eddie Lacy’s high school transcript was still at the NCAA Clearinghouse. At fullback, which has become sort of a novelty position in this offense, senior Baron Huber has the inside track over walk-on Jacob Vane and signee Mike Marrow, but whoever wins the job will probably just be a situational player who gets few if any touches. The depth in the backfield is the richest it’s been in years.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Everyone likes to talk about Julio Jones – and for good reason – but the real discussion centers on who will step up opposite him to give him some protection. Three receivers seemed to break away from the pack in the spring, led by speed burner Marquis Maze. Maze still needs to work on his route-running, but his ability to get behind defenses is reminiscent of former Tide star Pierre Goode.

Mike McCoy will likely get the bulk of the work early on; he’s had three solid springs in a row but has yet to translate that success into the fall. Tide fans hope McCoy will follow former teammate Matt Caddell’s lead and have a breakout senior season.

The best of the bunch, though, may turn out to be Darius Hanks. Hanks is one of the best route-runners on the team and has sticky hands, but has fallen in and out of the rotation the last two years due to inconsistency and doghouse issues. Alabama needs for Hanks to step up. Physically imposing Earl Alexander is also available; he’s actually bigger than Jones but not nearly as polished and hasn’t been able to stay healthy. If Alexander has a good fall, it would give Alabama a twin-towers attack at wideout. Beyond this fivesome, depth drops off precipitously. Brandon Gibson had a poor spring with several drops. Travis Sikes has yet to crack the rotation. Walk-on Alex Jackson was turning some heads towards the end of 2008 but didn’t play much in the spring, and Chris Jackson transferred.

Unless Gibson has a breakout fall, the sixth receiver will have to come from one of the true freshmen, Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood, Michael Bowman or Kendall Kelly. Kelly may grayshirt due to injury, while Bell and Norwood need more seasoning. Bowman is an intriguing possibility due to his size. Converted walk-on quarterback Rob Ezell provides depth.

At tight end, Alabama must replace the Nick Walker-Travis McCall tandem. Colin Peek gets one of the positions, but his health will always be a concern. When he’s available, he’s an above-average blocker with receiver-soft hands. Brad Smelley will work at both tight end and slot receiver, and possibly fullback as well. He’s athletic and a good receiver, but isn’t big enough to be a true tight end at the moment.

Preston Dial had a solid spring as an H-back, and could start ahead of Smelley if the coaches prioritize blocking from that position. Chris Underwood and Michael Williams provide depth behind Peek. Williams, arguably the tallest player on the team, converted from defensive end and has a bright future.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Any way you cut it, this group is a concern until it proves otherwise on the field. Two positions are locked up, left guard Mike Johnson and right tackle Drew Davis. But the other three positions are unsettled, even after a month of spring practice. William Vlachos appears to have grabbed the center position, beating out David Ross, but whether he keeps it probably depends on what happens to James Carpenter.

Carpenter won the left tackle position coming out of spring. He’s not Andre Smith, but few are. Carpenter, a JUCO transfer, had a solid showing as both a pass protector and run blocker. If Carpenter holds off freshman phenom signee D.J. Fluker, he’ll keep the job and Vlachos will keep the center position. But if Fluker takes left tackle from Carpenter in the fall, it will trigger a cascade effect through the depth chart. Carpenter would likely move to either center or right guard, where Brian Motley won the job coming out of spring practice. Motley replaces Marlon Davis, who was a bigger factor in Alabama’s 2008 success than one might initially think. Motley’s quickness is not a concern, but he’s smaller than Davis and not as strong.

Others fighting for that job include John Michael Boswell, who most observers assumed would win the job heading into the spring, and true freshman Chance Warmack, who entered school early and went through spring practice. Ross is also a factor here. Depth is in good shape even though guard/center Evan Cardwell gave up football. Alfred McCullough is competing at center, guard and tackle, while Boswell can play all five positions, too. Tyler Love appears to have nailed down the top reserve tackle slot for the moment, although Fluker’s arrival could change that. Barrett Jones can play anywhere on the line, while Taylor Pharr bolsters the tackle and guard positions. None of the other signees (Kellen Williams, Anthony Steen, Darius McKeller) figure to be ready as true freshmen.

DEFENSE

To the surprise of no one, Alabama followed up a solid 2007 defensive campaign with a spectacular 2008 effort. Such as it is when Nick Saban is the head coach. As many as nine starters from the 2008 unit return, including the bulk of a front seven that shut down the run at every turn. Still, there are issues here. Popular Bobby Greenwood and Rashad Johnson are now playing at the next level, and Johnson will be especially hard to replace. Alabama will continue to operate out of its 3-4 base front, with liberal use of the 4-2-5 set in nickel situations. The key will be rebuilding the secondary and developing depth at cornerback.

DEFENSIVE LINE

This is starting to look like a NFL team in miniature – if you could call anything with Terrence Cody in it “miniature.” Cody returns for his senior season at nose tackle, having slimmed down a bit and finally healthy after a leg injury sustained against Ole Miss. Cody will again get help from Josh Chapman in the middle, and Marcell Dareus will be available in the middle during passing downs. In the standard front, Dareus, Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick make up the two tackle/end positions. Everyone but Dareus has starting experience, and all are big-bodied players who are salty against the run. Redshirt freshman Damion Square had a superb spring, and many believe he’ll be a bona fide star in the near future.

Junior Luther Davis offers some pass-rushing ability from his reserve tackle position, which could help address the only real shortcoming of this unit, getting to the quarterback. Kerry Murphy looks like a slightly lighter version of Cody, while Undra Billingsley, Nick Gentry and Milton Talbert add depth. Glen Harbin is also available as a pure end. Alabama has more options than it’s had in years, but the issue of a lack of consistent pass rush from the front three is one that must be fixed. Signees Chris Bonds, William Ming, Brandon Moore and Darrington Sentimore (if qualified) are probably headed for redshirts unless things go awry health-wise.

LINEBACKERS

Despite an unsure situation at Jack linebacker, this is probably the most solid group of linebackers Alabama has had since the heyday of the Gene Stallings era. Inside linebackers Rolando McClain and Dont'a Hightower are both on the fast track to the NFL. Senior Cory Reamer isn’t flashy, but he is an intelligent player at outside linebacker and his ability to self-position and read a play helps make up for athleticism that has been curtailed by major injuries to both knees.

The critical position at the moment is Jack, where Brandon Fanney may or may not return. Fanney isn’t the typical Jack – he’s not a great pass rusher – but he was solid against the run and had good stamina. If he’s out, Hightower could move to the position (especially on passing downs; if that happens, look for Reamer to slide inside and stay on the field for more snaps) or the job will fall to senior Eryk Anders.

Anders is probably the poster child for Saban coaching. He was a tweener signee under Mike Shula and was headed toward a career on special teams, but under Saban has blossomed into the team’s best pure pass rusher off the edge. The question mark with Anders is whether he has enough size and stamina to move down to an end position and stop the run on a consistent basis. The truth will be told in the fall, but it bears noting that Anders made several critical plays down the stretch last year, particularly against Auburn, then turned in one of the five top performances of the spring at any position.

Depth is still thin behind the starters. Oddly enough, it’s best at Jack, where even without Fanney, there are good numbers. Behind Anders are Courtney Upshaw and Alex Watkins, along with signee Tana Patrick. Upshaw is the one to watch here, a fast player with good instincts. Elsewhere, freshmen will have to step in. Chris Jordan has one of the inside reserve positions nailed down, but Charlie Higgenbotham will be under pressure from signee Nico Johnson from day one. Jerrell Harris may be on the verge of a breakout year; he’ll start the season in Reamer’s shadow.

One of the more curious situations is that of Chavis Williams, who was a key contributor early in the season, got in the doghouse and then was buried in the depth chart. He could play either Jack or outside linebacker. Alabama carried several walk-ons on the reporting roster, with the top names being Alex Benson, Drew Bullard and Michael DeJohn. True freshman Petey Smith could step into departed Prince Hall’s role in the middle, especially since he’s built just like Hall. Jonathan Atchison passes the eye test and will be a factor at outside linebacker.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Alabama has a fine cornerback duo in Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson, but there’s a collective holding of breath in regards to the safety positions. Although Justin Woodall returns at strong safety, the question of how the absence of Rashad Johnson will affect not only the defense as a whole, but also the safety interplay between Woodall and whoever starts in Johnson’s place. In the spring, converted cornerback Robby Green seemed to claim the free safety job as much for his speed as anything else. But Green is tiny compared to most safeties and the real challenge for him will be taking on SEC running backs.

There’s also the issue of Johnson’s now-departed leadership ability and quarterbacking ability. Many times in 2008, Johnson would sniff out a play and come up to the line to position linebackers and even defensive linemen. Depth is also an issue in the secondary. Marquis Johnson has plenty of experience as the third cornerback and Ali Sharrief has experience at dimeback. Sharrief is actually still in competition for the free safety job. But Johnson got picked on horribly in the postseason last year, and Sharrief has problems in one-on-one coverage. Chris Rogers is the only other cornerback with experience, and is competing with converted receiver B.J. Scott for the other reserve corner position.

Highly touted freshman Alonzo Lawrence has decided to transfer. At safety, Mark Barron has all the physical tools but looked lost most of the time in 2008. Walk-on Tyrone King Jr. will probably play some at corner and safety, while Robert Lester is also in the mix at safety. One high point is the arrival of all-everything signee Dre Kirkpatrick, who could play either corner or safety and play early. Safety Rod Woodson is a hard hitter, but is more of an option at strong, where Alabama has some depth, rather than free. Wesley Neighbors and walk-on Kyle Pennington are other possibilities.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Alabama returns both kickers, but it’s questionable whether that constitutes an advantage or not. P.J. Fitzgerald certainly made strides as a punter last year, but rarely booms one. Leigh Tiffin had only a so-so year at kicker.

While Alabama has a capable backup to Fitzgerald in Heath Thomas, who is also the reserve kickoff man, the situation behind Tiffin is cloudier. Andrew Friedman didn’t return to the team in the spring, which left lefty Colin Gallagher as the only option. Alabama coaches seemed to hold open tryouts late in the spring, as the kicking roster expanded by almost 10 names just before A-Day. Of that bunch, Mark Prevost may stick as a punter, while none of the kickers seemed to make an impression.

In the return game, Javier Arenas is back but Alabama is still searching for a partner for Arenas on kick returns. Marquis Maze surely has the speed, but Alabama used bigger bodies at that slot for much of 2008 to give Arenas a blocker. Mike McCoy has experience at the position as does Julio Jones. B.J. Scott is also a possibility, as is Terry Grant.