News Article: Recruiting 2011: Team’s biggest needs center on defense

[JessN]

Recruiting 2011: Team’s biggest needs center on defense
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief
Jan. 8, 2011

It doesn’t take a football genius to know what Alabama was lacking the most during the 2010 season. Given that opposing quarterbacks could have worn fine-china helmets and emerged from battle with all headgear intact, a big priority for Alabama finishing up the 2010-2011 recruiting season is defense, defense and more defense.

For the full story, click here: http://www.tidefans.com/forums/tide...2011-team-s-biggest-needs-center-defense.html

 

[Crimson Surfer]

Good read thanks Jess.

 

[DurdenTider]

Nicely done. Entertaining read

 

[rangerman]

i am glad to see we have adressed our needs.

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

Jess, in B.J.'s case what did "never fit in" look like?

 

[ElephanTideis]

Very fun read, Jess. I really enjoy breaking down our roster and analyzing it the way you have.

However, I did not see Michael Bowman listed. Is he still at WR or is he expected to move to TE? And don't forget, Blake Sims will be another option at safety next season.

 

[jps1983]

Good read. Give me a stout OT (Cyrus K.) a quality DB/ATH (Malcolm Mitchell) and a good DE and let's call it a day and focus on a loaded instate 2012 class.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

Jess, in B.J.'s case what did "never fit in" look like?

Scott didn't perform as expected. He had a hard time with picking up the play book and he didn't progress as expected on either the offense and defense.

 

[bamaguy32]

any chance jarrick williams could play strong side linebacker?

 

[Crimson Surfer]

any chance jarrick williams could play strong side linebacker?

I am sure there is if he continues to grow, but right now he is a FS and if he moves to LB I would think it would be to Will. jmofwiw

 

[mulletover]

Good work, I however was a bit confused by the DE and Jack Linebacker parts. In Saban's system this position is a hybrid it neither fits the LB or the DE spot entirely. It's pretty much a position of it's own. IMO

I'm a bit concerned about the DE spot for 2011. All we have is what we already had and we saw what the group produced in 2010. Even if Bama picks up a big time DE prospect can we really expect that person (Clowney or other) to be a big time help in the units overall production in year one? To me the biggest boost our pass rushers can get will be a better push in the middle that eats up blocks and lets the DE/Jack roam and attack the ball. Adding DT's Williams and Dial is potentialy huge. Both these guys are battle tested from their time within the JUCCO ranks so this may be the only immediate help on the books for the 2011 pass rush, which to me is still a little confusing. Roll Tide Roll !!

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

Good work, I however was a bit confused by the DE and Jack Linebacker parts. In Saban's system this position is a hybrid it neither fits the LB or the DE spot entirely. It's pretty much a position of it's own. IMO

I'm a bit concerned about the DE spot for 2011. All we have is what we already had and we saw what the group produced in 2010. Even if Bama picks up a big time DE prospect can we really expect that person (Clowney or other) to be a big time help in the units overall production in year one? To me the biggest boost our pass rushers can get will be a better push in the middle that eats up blocks and lets the DE/Jack roam and attack the ball. Adding DT's Williams and Dial is potentialy huge. Both these guys are battle tested from their time within the JUCCO ranks so this may be the only immediate help on the books for the 2011 pass rush, which to me is still a little confusing. Roll Tide Roll !!

a healthy courtney upshaw will help the pass rush a lot, as will more experienced DB's will allow saban to open his play book up a bit more. not to mention as hightower gets more comfortable on his knee, things should be much better next year at affecting the qb.

 

[JessN]

Very fun read, Jess. I really enjoy breaking down our roster and analyzing it the way you have.

However, I did not see Michael Bowman listed. Is he still at WR or is he expected to move to TE? And don't forget, Blake Sims will be another option at safety next season.

Bowman is at TE now. But the last time I saw him, he wasn't too big that he couldn't move back. He could end up being a Lamonde Russell kind of player, not big enough to play on the line but a good receiving tight end. Russell's problem was that after we moved from Homer Smith's West Coast derivative offense to the pure pro set that Stallings ran in 1990, Russell's effectiveness dropped off significantly.

Blake Sims is supposedly at running back at the moment. I expect him to stay on offense. I think ultimately he will be a slot receiver and gadget play guy, kind of a Randall Cobb. But if the loser of the McCarron-P.Sims battle at QB transfers and Phillip Ely isn't ready yet (and he certainly does not look ready to play to me, not for 2 years at least), Blake needs to brush up on his emergency QB skills just in case.