News Article: First half report card: Tide has the look of honor students

[JessN]

Share
 

First half report card: Tide has the look of honor students
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief
Oct. 11, 2009

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 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide team in the football “classroom.”

Quarterbacks: A+
It’s hard to do much better than Greg McElroy has done for Alabama to start the year, especially given what the expectations were. McElroy wasn’t even a lock to win the job last spring, but he claimed the job early on and then held it through fall camp. He then followed up his efforts in the spring by spending the offseason getting familiar with his wide receivers, and by the end of Week 5, was even getting some mentions as a Heisman Trophy candidate. That talk likely ended with a so-so performance against Ole Miss, but the fact remains that much of McElroy’s performance is gravy right now. Even though he replaced a player who is now in the NFL, John Parker Wilson, McElroy seems to throw a better ball, with a stronger arm, and look more comfortable doing it. Leadership from the position is as good as it’s been in Tuscaloosa since Jay Barker was under center. Backups Star Jackson and Thomas Darrah haven’t been able to get much work, but Jackson did get some extended time against North Texas and looked more comfortable and polished than expected. This position group is getting excellent coaching from Jim McElwain and it’s hard to ask more of McElroy given his performance thus far.

Running backs: A+
The only negative here is that Jeramie Griffin was lost for the season with a torn ACL and Demetrius Goode and Roy Upchurch have both been slowed by various ailments and injuries. The top two players, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, form what is likely the best 1-2 punch at running back in the SEC, which is flush with good running backs in 2009. Ingram has more than answered critics who wondered whether he was capable of shouldering the load after the departure of Glen Coffee to the NFL. Richardson looks like he’ll be one of the most exciting players in the conference in a couple of years. Upchurch has looked good when healthy and even Terry Grant has found a niche role with this team. Health is the only real concern right now, and getting Upchurch back to 100 percent will be key when the postseason gets here. Right now, though, there are no complaints.

Wide receivers: A-
Alabama needed someone to step up opposite Julio Jones, and Marquis Maze was happy to oblige. Maze and Darius Hanks have been good second options this year, but the real story has been tight end Colin Peek. Peek has been an upgrade both as a blocker and receiver over Nick Walker. Julio Jones’ health has been a concern, however, and either his health or just the fact that some SEC DBs may be getting accustomed to him has led to reduced production. Also, Alabama abandoned the fullback position for good in the offseason, choosing to go with an H-back. Brad Smelley started there at the beginning of the year but quickly lost out to Preston Dial. Dial, however, has been rather unremarkable so far in 2009. Alabama could use some more consistent contributions from Mike McCoy and Earl Alexander, but overall there hasn’t been much to complain about. Drops are almost unheard of.

Offensive line: B-
Replacing three starters from the SEC’s top offensive line was a tall task and everyone knew it, but for the most part the transition has gone smoothly. James Carpenter was having a great season at left tackle until he ran into his first real primo defensive line (Ole Miss), and showed he was vulnerable to edge rushers. Nevertheless, the gap from former starter Andre Smith’s performance down to that of Carpenter has been a much smaller gap than expected. The biggest positive surprise has probably been center William Vlachos, who despite being grossly undersized has done a solid job, especially as a pass blocker. Left guard Mike Johnson and right tackle Drew Davis have both played stellar senior seasons thus far. Right guard is still a bit of an issue, as freshman Barrett Jones has been hit with several penalties and is still getting beaten on a fair number of snaps. Time is the only cure for Jones. For the first time in years, the second team line looks able to play solid football if the first team was knocked out en masse. Alabama has 12 players who have seen action on the line this year, giving the Tide phenomenal depth. The one nit to pick has been the lack of ability to run the football at will (meaning, even on the downs the opposing defense stacks the line), which Alabama was able to do in 2008, but a resurgent passing game has made that ability far less necessary. The key here is whether this unit will continue to improve over the balance of the season.

Coaching/playcalling: A
This was probably an A+ until Alabama over-used the pass against Ole Miss. Up to that point, the offensive gameplans had been flawless. More importantly, individual position coaching has been nothing short of phenomenal. In the first five games of the year, Alabama consistently out-schemed the opposition, and the increased use of Wildcat and Pistol formations has added new wrinkles to Alabama’s offensive personality. While the basic tenets of Alabama’s philosophy haven’t changed, this might as well be a completely new offense in 2009 from the one that ran over defenses and chewed them up in 2008. But is has been equally effective.

OFFENSE OVERALL: A-
Alabama’s offense in the second half will go the way of its offensive line. Given that three of Alabama’s five starters had no appreciable collegiate experience prior to 2009, fans should be happy with the results so far. But the second half of the schedule is always tougher than the first – since there are things like SEC Championship Games and BCS title hopes in the picture – and the line must continue to improve. Alabama also needs H-back Preston Dial to continue to develop, as he has now clearly separated himself from Brad Smelley and Baron Huber at the position. The biggest hindrance to Alabama’s running game in 2009 has been the inability of the H-backs to supplement the seal blocking assignments like Travis McCall was able to do in 2008. These are minor issues, but Alabama must play flawless football against LSU and Florida in order to have a shot at a national title.

Defensive line: A+
Alabama has the deepest and best defensive line in the country, even with Damion Square out for the year with a torn ACL. The Crimson Tide has two entire platoons of playmakers, and is so deep and good that Kerry Murphy – who might just start for as many as 9 or 10 other SEC teams – can’t get on the field until trash time. Terrence Cody has had a quieter 2009, but Lorenzo Washington has been equal or better to Bobby Greenwood and the Marcel Dareus/Brandon Deaderick combination has been unbeatable. Dareus is making a strong push for all-SEC consideration despite not even being a starter. Alabama is currently 7th in both rush and pass defense and 2nd in total defense in the country, and it all starts here.

Linebackers: A
With Dont'a Hightower now out, Alabama’s defensive schemes will change somewhat. The Kentucky game came at the right time in the year relative to Hightower’s injury, and showed Alabama coaches that shuffling the linebacker corps to get a certain alignment onto the field wasn’t the answer, and Nick Saban admitted to it after the Ole Miss game. Fortunately for Alabama, Cory Reamer stepped up his play in Hightower’s absence, and Jerrell Harris returns from suspension this week and will bolster the depth chart at Will linebacker. Rolando McClain ought to win a Butkus Award for his play in 2009, but the real surprise to many has been Jack linebacker Eryk Anders. When Brandon Fanney was cut loose for violating team rules prior to the start of the season, Alabama fans were worried. Anders and his backup, Courtney Upshaw, were both smaller, speedier players, unlike the pseudo-defensive end build that described Fanney. But Anders has been an upgrade, far better in pass rush than Fanney and acceptable in run defense and in covering backs out of the backfield. Upshaw, Chris Jordan and true freshman Nico Johnson have been solid off the bench. With Harris back, things should continue to get better. With Hightower out, there may not be A-plus talent across the board anymore, but there has been A-plus effort.

Defensive backs: A
Alabama’s secondary played one of the best games in school history against Ole Miss, picking off four passes and helping the front seven completely shut down the Rebel running game. If the secondary is able to apply that same effort the rest of the way, Alabama has nothing to worry about. Safety play was weak to start the season, but Justin Woodall has picked things up considerably in the last couple of weeks and Mark Barron’s progress has been nothing short of astounding. Robby Green off the bench has been a weapon, and the corner trio of Javier Arenas, Marquis Johnson and Kareem Jackson has been very solid. There is still room for improvement, but the fact of the matter is the Alabama secondary has far exceeded expectations already.

Coaching/playcalling: A+
Alabama was already known for its stifling defense prior to the Ole Miss game, but the gameplan the Tide coaches cooked up for that one was pure genius. Only Kentucky has had any kind of real success against the Alabama front, and that came largely as a result of Hightower’s absence and Alabama coaches not having the correct starting alignment yet. Alabama has yet to be challenged in six games this year; even the margin of the Virginia Tech game was misleading, thanks to breakdowns in special teams. Only Florida’s defense looks to be as good as Alabama’s, although LSU is also solid on that side of the ball. That’s due in large part to the prowess of Alabama’s defensive staff.

DEFENSE OVERALL: A+
As good as Alabama’s defense was last year, this year’s version may be better, even with the loss of Hightower to injury and Rashad Johnson to the NFL. Alabama’s defensive front has been impenetrable, and the linebackers – especially Rolando McClain, who is playing like a man possessed – have wreaked havoc on opposing gameplans. Alabama is ranked 2nd in the country in total defense and that equals A-plus work.

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERALL: C
Despite the presence of Javier Arenas, and good performances from kickers Leigh Tiffin and P.J. Fitzgerald, Alabama’s coverage breakdowns are too much to overlook. Fitzgerald is 2nd in the SEC in gross punting, but the team ranks 105th in net punting, part of which is due to coverage breakdowns. Alabama also ranks low in kickoff coverage and has given up two returns for touchdowns this year, in addition to countless returns that make it to the 40-yard line. Alabama still hasn’t found a complement to Arenas on kickoffs, as Terry Grant just doesn’t seem to be the answer. In a close game, a breakdown in this area could be the difference – and Florida looms large with Brandon James returning kicks and punts.

OVERALL
With special teams dragging down the average, Alabama would rate a B+ overall, but that’s not indicative of just how much better Alabama is than all but two or three teams in the country. The fact is, this is an A-rated team at the moment, with a semipro defense and an offense that is doing all the little things correctly. If Alabama can improve its kick coverage in the second half, it will be as complete a team as there is anywhere, and will likely enter the SEC Championship Game undefeated. And from the look of the college football landscape this year, the SEC Championship Game will probably be a truer test of the who the best team in America is rather than the BCS Championship Game. Alabama fans have been pining for the glory years of the past for a decade now. Those days are back.