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New OLine

As strange as it may sound, having a new OL coach may actually help in rebuilding this line.
 
BigBama76 said:
I agree. On top of that having a seasoned QB and top notch receiving corp should take some of the heat off the Oline.
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And then add the simple fact these Players have been through the "4th Quarter Program" 2-3 years..I think our O-Line will be fine..They will be big, fast, & ready to carry on the "Domination"..
 
TommyMac said:
I know we should expect some drop-off, but is it a given? I don't know. We're entering the 7th year of Coach Saban's process and it just seems to get better and better. One thing's for sure, we will be replacing talent with talent.

I keep remembering the expected drop-off when we had to replace JPW and GMac at the crucial QB position.

That was 3 NC's ago.
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I'm with you Tmac. Every year we lose players to the NFL and the consensus is they'll be hard to replace. Few teams have had back to back #1 recruiting classes like Alabama the last few yeas.

Not long ago the 08 class was talked about as the best ever brought in. As time goes along the succeeding classes start to gain on that class.

I've become an optimist, and as far as talent goes Alabama lacks at no position. I'm looking forward to the best offensive team Alabama has fielded in a long time with explosive players at every position.

I'd say the same about the coaching staff. Each time in the past I worried about replacing coaches like Steele, Pendery McElwain, ...etc. Each time Saban brought in the best.

I see no reason to think next years O'line will not rank as one of the best units in the country by seasons end.:BigA:
 
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OLine is completely different than any other position. Your starters play pretty much the entire game. It's about skill and footwork and actual participation in games. You're carving a hole for your RBs. It's not like WR where supreme talent will get you through the season and the ball will be going to you twice a drive. As a lineman, if you mess up once, your QB can go down. You go from 2nd and 5 to 3rd and 12. Every time you mess up, your QB has a chance of getting injured. And then the season is over.


All it takes is one or two mistakes a game.

So, yea, I'm worried.

I think it will work out, but we cannot take this for granted. This is about dedication to prepare by the players and the coaches both.
 
Past results in the OL roster turnover department do show a good trend but nothing is really given. I think next year's OL will be capable. Steen's level of play grew dramatically in 2012 and I feel pretty good about the relief at LG and C. Leon Brown at RT is the biggest unknown but Saban has had a good track record with JUCO transfer linemen.

One thing is for sure: they will get tested pretty well out of the gate. VT does a lot of movement with their d-linemen and force you to react well to all their twists and slants. TAMU is similar in that regard. They use a lot of movement and they really press the line of scrimmage. Neither team's defense may scare the average fan much but technically they do things that can be tough on inexperience offensive line groups. If they handle those two well, they should be able to grow into the kind of unit needed for a title.
 
I remember seeing a decent drop-off in play when the second unit entered last year. Let's hope the new starters take that next step with the remaining starters from last year and gel early. I'm going to guess that we will be more vanilla in our schemes early on, and teams will be better at disrupting our offensive line blocking schemes early in the season. So, we will probably have to lean more on our skill players and defense to break open games. I'm guessing we'll see more games go into the third or fourth quarter before there's the large scoring difference we're used to seeing.

With that said, the copious amounts of playing time last year can only help toward the O-line gelling this year. I've never seen half as much second string playing time in the middle of an SEC schedule as last year. Anyone know how we rank in the SEC for O-line starts and playing time for our players?
 
mdb-tpet said:
I remember seeing a decent drop-off in play when the second unit entered last year. Let's hope the new starters take that next step with the remaining starters from last year and gel early. I'm going to guess that we will be more vanilla in our schemes early on, and teams will be better at disrupting our offensive line blocking schemes early in the season. So, we will probably have to lean more on our skill players and defense to break open games. I'm guessing we'll see more games go into the third or fourth quarter before there's the large scoring difference we're used to seeing.

With that said, the copious amounts of playing time last year can only help toward the O-line gelling this year. I've never seen half as much second string playing time in the middle of an SEC schedule as last year. Anyone know how we rank in the SEC for O-line starts and playing time for our players?
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Part of the dropoff could be attributed to the defense knowing that it was "run left, run middle, run right, punt, or start over" time. We have been very fortunate in the offensive line injury department. I have no fear the coaching staff will have these guys ready for the opener, and they will continue to improve throughout the season.
 
TIDE-HSV said:
Just the fact that we're chasing JUCO OTs so hard would indicate that this is a rebuilding situation...
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I am more worried about 2014 OL than the 2013. CyKo is gone after this year and with a good year, so could Brown at RT. I think this is why we have two offers out to JUCO OTs so early in the 2014 process.
 
You don't reload off the best OL in school history. Anything would be considered a "rebuild year" in comparison. If the target is being the 2012 OL then they'll probably miss.

Of course, nobody thought the 2009 OL was going to pave the way to a Heisman tailback off the 2008 OL which was one of the best since at the school since 1999.
 
rgw said:
Past results in the OL roster turnover department do show a good trend but nothing is really given. I think next year's OL will be capable. Steen's level of play grew dramatically in 2012 and I feel pretty good about the relief at LG and C. Leon Brown at RT is the biggest unknown but Saban has had a good track record with JUCO transfer linemen.

One thing is for sure: they will get tested pretty well out of the gate. VT does a lot of movement with their d-linemen and force you to react well to all their twists and slants. TAMU is similar in that regard. They use a lot of movement and they really press the line of scrimmage. Neither team's defense may scare the average fan much but technically they do things that can be tough on inexperience offensive line groups. If they handle those two well, they should be able to grow into the kind of unit needed for a title.
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What he said.

At the end of 2010, we said, "Dang this team is the most talented we've had here in quite some time...and here we stand with 3 losses".

I am NOT predicting 3 losses in 2013. I am saying it can't always be THIS good. There has to be a little drop-off every now and then. Besides that'll give Coach something to scream about and make him come back another year to fix it.

We most certainly could slip up and lose to VT or TAMU. Even though our schedule seems a tad bit weaker in comparison to previous years, it is front-end loaded with those two teams who are both capable of confusing an INEXPERIENCED OL and getting to the QB.

Besides we will also have a completely new set of defensive linemen and some fresh faces in the secondary. In 2012, what could have possibly been the least capable overall defense in the last 5 seasons finished with great numbers due to having a lot of help from a dominant offense and really solid special teams. Again, another disclaimer: I am not saying the 2012 defense was not AWESOME, but it might not have put up such good numbers had it not been on such a great "team".

All things considered, this is a season where we could lose a game or two. We could also go undefeated and win another title, considering the talent and coaches on campus -and we could also implode and lose 4 games. I think one or two losses is a reasonable expectation for 2013.

Got just a little off topic there...big picture thinking...we can't win every game every year...and in 2013 having a new O line could contribute to an early loss.

Just my $.02...
 
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My prediction at how it shakes out through spring practice and fall camp:

LT Cyrus Kounadjio - Hyattsville, Maryland
LG Alphonse Taylor - Mobile, Ala.; Arie Kouandjio - Hyattsville, Maryland
C Ryan Kelley - West Chester, Ohio
RG Anthony Steen - Clarksdale, Miss.
RT Austin Sheppard - Buford, Georgia; Leon Brown - Brooklyn, New York
 
IMO, the OL has to be the hardest position to learn for a recruit coming out of high school to stepping on the field in the SEC. No one questions the talent and potential of our returning and incoming OL, but it does require seasoning to field the kind of OL we have had the past two years. I do think the hiring of Cristobal could make this transition year a lot easier on the players and produce quicker results.
 
I think you will see a few more false starts and holding penalties than what we saw last season but these guys have talent and will be a year older and chomping at the bits to show what they can do. Just like every other team out there that is bringing in new starters, they will have a learning period of the speed of the game. Although going against our defense in the spring and fall practice should give them a leg up on most teams.

Also the skill position we have surrounding them will help too. There is really no more to worry about this team than there was for any of the others recently. As someone else said 2014 will be scarier in my opinion although that also makes it exciting! But 2014 will also be a little more forgiving with the 4 team playoff! :)
 
As good as last years O-line was we gave up sacks against teams we had no business doing so with. I remember watching Western Kentucky give our O-line all it could handle. I think we still will field a top ten O-line this year. JMO.
 
If our O-Line and secondary come together quickly, we'll be in the running for a 'three-peat'. But those are the two areas that will have to develop chemistry early to avoid an early season stumble. The talent is definitly there, but experience is lacking somewhat...especially compared against last years yteam...but thats a little bit of an unfair comparison to make for young players.

Everything else, including our schedule, aligns nicely for this season.
 
We will have talent...the question is will we have desire, teamwork, and toughness in the clutch to stay in position and fill our responsibilities correctly? Those are the variables that will take us from 9-3 to 12-0. Time will tell....
 
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