News Article: Chris Black to make debut against Georgia

Florida Tom

All-American
Aug 15, 2011
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0
Tampa, FL
Synopsis!!

I'm not saying he should play. I'm not saying he shouldn't play.

I don't care if he plays or not.

If he does I hope he has a great game.

My every post was simply trying to say that I would be surprised if Saban played him.

That's all, that's it, and if I'm wrong so be it and good :) If I'm right, who cares, as long as we win :)

sip
Dont get mad at us,man you are one of the main reasons I joined this board. You are a Real Bama fan!

I just got a chance to see this kid play in HS & I am probably over excited. He is something Great.

I really do get what you are saying & would be with you but the loss of Bell I think changed everything.

We gonna beat GA & CB will be a big part of it, not a decoy.
This game is gonna be exciting!
Roll Tide!
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
In view of your past posts, I'm extremely surprised that you are going to be surprised when he plays. Saban has said that it's all but a certainty. rgw does really have the rotation figured correctly. Black fills a really big hole. That's the reason for all of the lead-up and Saban's remarks. I'd give about 10-1 odds that he plays. How he performs is up to him...
If he plays I hope he has an incredible game and is the "surprise" that Georgia isn't prepared for.

You are indeed correct. If he plays the results are up to him. That's the reason I don't think Saban would put that much pressure on him unless totally necessary.

That's a ton of pressure on a true freshman who has never suited up and was the basis of my every comment.

sip
 

BigBama76

Suspended
Oct 26, 2011
1,002
0
0
Atlanta, GA
Earle, I understand because of the kids ability and probable future that the red shirt probably means nothing. Agreed in total.

There's just this gut feeling that Coach Saban really and truly doesn't want to play him if he doesn't have to...in part because he hasn't been there the entire season and , right or wrong, the players that have been might feel a bit of resentment.

Kinda like, "Dance with the girl who brung ya to the dance".

Ultimately, if he plays I hope he kills it. If he doesn't, I'll be thankful that he has at least the possibility of another year.

There's no negative side from me, I was just trying to look at from the way Saban normally looks at it, which I'm not really capable of doing...lol...:)
The way I understood Coach Saban's comments in his press conference was that CB will play. Maybe I misheard that. Also, if I'm not mistaken, after losing Bell we are one WR short in our normal rotation, which means if he doesn't play somebody has to double up to cover Bell's absence.

I also think Coach Saban expects that he could be a contributor in whatever way he is used.
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
Dont get mad at us,man you are one of the main reasons I joined this board. You are a Real Bama fan!

I just got a chance to see this kid play in HS & I am probably over excited. He is something Great.

I really do get what you are saying & would be with you but the loss of Bell I think changed everything.

We gonna beat GA & CB will be a big part of it, not a decoy.
This game is gonna be exciting!
Roll Tide!
I'm not mad at ANYBODY!!! lol...did I type something that was misconstrued badly??

I'm truly not understanding the misunderstandings.

I think I'm gonna rent a room at a Holiday Inn Express tonight so I can figure it out :)

I'm cool with every opinion on this thread FT. :)

sip
 

TrampLineman

Hall of Fame
Jul 21, 2010
7,287
6
57
Alabama
I'm gonna say Black gets possibly up to 3 catches if he plays any meaningful time (which is great if he gets that many catches IMHO)
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
I don't imagine that we're going to open up the game with Black on the field unless we play empty with 5-WR personnel (which by the way, almost every time we play empty it is either 4-WR/1-Back or 3-WR,1-TE, 1-Back). I could be very wrong, but I think the standard 3-WR personnel is pretty well set with Cooper (X), Norwood (Y), Ch. Jones (Z). I get the feeling that Black will probably be the first guy off the bench for Norwood at Y, which is just what Bell did often this season. There is a possibility Shinn comes on the field first as a spell guy simple to block the perimeter on a stretch run.

Either way, Black is probably going to see the field around 20 snaps this Saturday and what he does with those 20 or so snaps is wholly up to him and his god given talent.
 
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rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
As for what I expect from Black considering I have him slotted for around 20 snaps. It is hard to gauge. He was a star at receiver on A-Day and was supposedly ahead of Cooper in terms of Freshmen before going down. This is saying a lot because I thought Amari Cooper was an instant contributor from the first time I saw him in one of those HS All-Star games...I didn't even realize he was a Bama commit until late in that game. Still, the last time he's been in a real game was last Fall in high school. The stakes are much higher and the level of competition is unlike anything he's probably seen in a real game.

There is a good chance that if Black never was injured that it would be he not Cooper that is the leading receiver right now. Cooper developed into that threat...it happened quickly but it still took a few games of significant action. The realistic hope is that he makes one or two underneath catches and turns them for a first down or an explosive play...a cross, hook, screen, etc. If we can get some quality field stretching plays from him, it's all gravy. Hopefully he can help the team win the game and allow him to develop into a threat by the BCSCG.
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
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Huntsville, AL,USA
Either that or I should replace Finebaumn...LOL :) This one got kinda sorta out of hand.

I know Coach Saban's job is to win championships.

At the same time, all I was saying, is that my gut feeling is that he will give the players who have gone through every game the entire season the first opportunity to show they can get the job done before he places such a big burden on a youngster who hasn't played a down.

That's it. That's all it was.

If it turns into a situation where he's needed, then absolutely play the young man!

I just said, "I hope we don't need him"..and I'd be surprised if anybody hoped we did.

He could break his leg in the first series next season and that redshirt would suddenly become important, not for the team, but for Chris.

That's what I think Coach Saban looks at and that's why I think he'll try to sit him if possible.

That's all.

Sip
In that instance, he would be a cinch to get an additional year through a medical redshirt...
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,527
39,615
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Huntsville, AL,USA
As for what I expect from Black considering I have him slotted for around 20 snaps. It is hard to gauge. He was a star at receiver on A-Day and was supposedly ahead of Cooper in terms of Freshmen before going down. This is saying a lot because I thought Amari Cooper was an instant contributor from the first time I saw him in one of those HS All-Star games...I didn't even realize he was a Bama commit until late in that game. Still, the last time he's been in a real game was last Fall in high school. The stakes are much higher and the level of competition is unlike anything he's probably seen in a real game.

There is a good chance that if Black never was injured that it would be he not Cooper that is the leading receiver right now. Cooper developed into that threat...it happened quickly but it still took a few games of significant action. The realistic hope is that he makes one or two underneath catches and turns them for a first down or an explosive play...a cross, hook, screen, etc. If we can get some quality field stretching plays from him, it's all gravy. Hopefully he can help the team win the game and allow him to develop into a threat by the BCSCG.
I think that's exactly the reason he's a cinch to play (in addition to CNS's remarks). He'll be in to scare UGA into covering two deep ball threats, which we lost when Bell went down. The reason he needs to play - and CNS has said he can help the team - is so clear that I'm totally startled with all the contra opinion about wasting a year, not playing unless we lose yet a third receiver, etc. The guy is going to play. It's yet to be determined as to his role...
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,931
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Synopsis!!

I'm not saying he should play. I'm not saying he shouldn't play.

I don't care if he plays or not.

If he does I hope he has a great game.

My every post was simply trying to say that I would be surprised if Saban played him.

That's all, that's it, and if I'm wrong so be it and good :) If I'm right, who cares, as long as we win :)

sip
Calling it right now. If you are wrong and we lose it is your fault. :wink:
 

MBA_99

1st Team
Jan 11, 2010
913
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A, A
Man, if you'd told me 6 years ago we'd be having a spirited debate about whether they'll pull the shirt off a 4* lightning-fast receiver like this to hopefully whip the Bulldogs and the Irish for championship #15, I would've fallen to my knees and begged for it to be true.

This kid has been running great routes and catching balls for somewhere between 5-15 years, right? Looking forward to watching him wear out the Dawgs and completely torch the little Leprechauns.
 

92tide

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May 9, 2000
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Man, if you'd told me 6 years ago we'd be having a spirited debate about whether they'll pull the shirt off a 4* lightning-fast receiver like this to hopefully whip the Bulldogs and the Irish for championship #15, I would've fallen to my knees and begged for it to be true.

This kid has been running great routes and catching balls for somewhere between 5-15 years, right? Looking forward to watching him wear out the Dawgs and completely torch the little Leprechauns.
yeah, in the video i saw of him as a 4-year old, he was tearing up the pee wee leagues ;)
 

bama579

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Jan 15, 2005
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Man, if you'd told me 6 years ago we'd be having a spirited debate about whether they'll pull the shirt off a 4* lightning-fast receiver like this to hopefully whip the Bulldogs and the Irish for championship #15, I would've fallen to my knees and begged for it to be true.
This kid has been running great routes and catching balls for somewhere between 5-15 years, right? Looking forward to watching him wear out the Dawgs and completely torch the little Leprechauns.
Amen.

Preach it, reverend.

Can I get a witness.
 

Bamafan P.T.

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Oct 15, 2005
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yeah, in the video i saw of him as a 4-year old, he was tearing up the pee wee leagues ;)
I think Chris Black should return kick off's, punts, start at wide out, run 3 reverses and have the ball thrown to him 10 + times. Any thing less than 2 TD's on the night is a waste of a burnt shirt. :biggrin:
RTR!
The Legend of Chris Black.....
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
I didn't see much of Black other than the A-Day game whereas I saw Cooper play in one of those high school all-star games. I could tell Cooper had the "it factor" guys at his position are either born with or will never have. Not only could he run routes better than a guy his age, but he had great ability to high point the ball amongst a crowd along with the ability to take a short pass and make open field plays. Some guys are good at making acrobatic catches but they aren't an open field runner type. He could do it all and it tickled me when I had just got done thinking to myself "jeez, I hope we're recruiting this guy" only to hear the commentators say he was committed to us already. Think about how he has developed with McCarron this season: we started him out with simple bubble screen calls just to use his open field ability, now the kid is running timing patterns to the sideline like an upperclassman. He's not the physical talent Julio Jones was for us but he's miles ahead of Julio at 19 years old in terms of playing the WR position.

Black was outperforming Cooper leading up to his injury, so just off what my opinion of Cooper was coming into Alabama...that is impressive. My opinion of Cooper was high from the outset, he's pretty much lived up to everything I thought he could be if given an opportunity but Black was ahead of him. Do I expect Black, who hasn't play 12 college football games like Cooper, to still be ahead of Cooper? Not at all, but the pure physical talent is there.

Now with all that hype, I need to remind everyone that I don't think Chris Black is going to be a difference maker in this game. We need his abilities on the field because 5 scholarships receivers (without him playing) is way too thin for a team that basically plays a base 3-WR set. If he can make just one play like that screen Kenny Bell had in the first drive of the second half in the BCSCG, he's more than filled his role. Anything over a few catches and/or first downs, is pure house money. Still, the guy has too much talent to be sitting - given the current depth - if he's healthy and we're one step away from an SEC title and BCSCG bid.
 

Nolan

Hall of Fame
Jul 4, 2006
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Having two guys out there that can legitimately stretch the field and get behind the defense will make a huge difference.

Do you keep the safeties back to prevent that from happening?

Or out of respect for our run do you bring an extra man down?

It potentially puts UGA in a tough spot, not to mention the dimensions it adds to our play action.
 
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bamajag600

3rd Team
Apr 27, 2006
214
1
42
Hawaii
I think Chris Black will make some impact plays for Bama in this game (gut feeling). I was very worried about our WR situation after the Bell injury, but I'm much more optimistic now.

Burning a redshirt at the end of medeocre season would suck.

But... Burning a redshirt to come in and help your team win a SEC and Natl Championship? Well that's the type of story that gets put in books and told for generations!
 

RollTide1224

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Feb 18, 2008
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Having two guys out there that can legitimately stretch the field and get behind the defense will make a huge difference.

Do you keep the safeties back to prevent that from happening?

Or out of respect for our run do you bring an extra man down?

It potentially puts UGA in a tough spot, not to mention the dimensions it adds to our play action.
If it was me I would make the guy who is playing in his first collegiate game ever beat press coverage and complete a deep pass vs letting Eddie and Yeldon who are proven commodities beat me. I'm not saying this strategy would work but I have to imagine Georgia is going to be focusing on stopping our running game.
 

Nolan

Hall of Fame
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If it was me I would make the guy who is playing in his first collegiate game ever beat press coverage and complete a deep pass vs letting Eddie and Yeldon who are proven commodities beat me. I'm not saying this strategy would work but I have to imagine Georgia is going to be focusing on stopping our running game.
I tend to agree. If we are running the ball with consistent success Georgia is in a world of hurt. They will definitely try to stop the run first. So hopefully we employ routes to defeat that.
 

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