Spring position battles?

[Black Warrior]

Good stuff !!

I'm also curious about the QB position. I know AJ just won a NC but we've got a 5 star QB sitting on the bench that could be at least as good as AJ and maybe better. I hope we get to see both of them enough in the spring to see if they' could possibly be sharing duties in the coming season. Now I'm the guys who prior to last season was saying it's AJ's gig to lose. He'll start if he ain't dead or hospitalized. But this season is different. Sims has been holding the clip board for a year and knows the system as well as AJ did when he started this past season. CNS has played 2 QBs before......

 

[tftplisa]

I'm most interested in NG followed by CB. I think Ivory may start at NG spelled by Alphonse Taylor. They can still slide JW inside in some packages as well. The two new Juco CBs and Milliner should fill the CB roles in some form. Also who will be that Jack LB? Xavier Dickson, Hubbard? I can't wait for Spring Practice.

 

[Tideflyer]

I think JW has shown too much agility in rushing the passer to move him to NT to plug the middle against runs...

I know that it`s irrelevant now that he`s gone, but I find myself REALLY wishing that Nick Gentry had another year.

 

[imauafan]

I know that it`s irrelevant now that he`s gone, but I find myself REALLY wishing that Nick Gentry had another year.

Although he didn't have the size needed to be an every down player, Gentry had an uncanny ability to get into the backfield and disrupt a play. He will be missed.

 

[GA_Tide]

Yep. We are really going to miss Gentry on passing downs.

 

[Tide Warrior]

The biggest question mark for me is still WR. Yes Bell and Norwood looked good in the end, but they were still inconsistant throughout the season. I understand that we had a new QB but I think no one is a lock for the WR going into the spring and I expect that battle to carry over to the fall camp. I think Carter and White will end up winning the spots, but I think Shinn, Copper, Black and E Williams will push hard for playing time. E Williams may have the most upside of all of them but he does not come in until the summer. The rest will be here this spring. Another one to watch will be Woodson. But in my opinion I think C Jones may be the 3rd with Carter and White.

TE will also be interesting to see who staff looks at. I think Williams has the 1st spot locked up but the question is who be the 2nd TE. I hope Voglar finally breaks out. We just seem to be very young with a lot of potential here.

OL I think we all can name the starting 5, the real question will be the depth here. Who will be the 2 and 3 spots. I actually think with all we have returning our OL should be very deep and experienced this year.

RB Lacy #1, the real question with Yeldon an EE is can he beat out Hart for the #2. That should be a great battle between those 2 and without any injury all 3 should see alot of carries. I know some like Fowler but he will be more of a fullback, short yardage type of back come fall. Another question is will Calloway make some noise and stay at RB or will he get moved to LB where he was a 5 star coming out of HS.

QB no brainer here, even in the depth dept.

DL is going to be interesting. I think the only one that is a lock is Williams. NT is wide open and the young guns are going to be pushing for the the 3rd spot. Watch out for Pagan, Fanning and Pettway making alot noise and one of them will probably when the 3rd spot. A name to watch out for by midseaon is incoming freshman D Lake. The kid is a beast and a natural at DT. I do not expect him to be a starter but I think he will see the field at some point in the fall.

LB I think the starting core is set with Nico, CJ, Depriest, and the only question is will it be Hubbard or Dickson at JLB. The fun part will be Ragland, Lee, and Anderson. Every year a freshman makes his name in our LB corps and I do not think that will change this year.

CB Milner is a lock and should be at one of the CB spots. He played outstanding as a true freshman and knows the system better than anyone returning or coming in. I would give the other to Dixon. For those that do not know Dixon, except from playing when he was little, did not start playing DB or football until his senior year in HS. Three years later he is the top JUCO and an All American DB. His upside is huge and under our staff there are no limits. Again what he has accomplished in 3 years is incredible. I think Belue will play more like Menzie and with his speed will be our main returner. I hope Fulton breaks out this year because he has the potential and we really need him. If not watch for G Smith to come in and get on the field early. It will also be interesting to see how B Sylve looks at DB and I would not be surprised to see him returning punts/kickoffs with Belue. J Washington will be another to watch and see how he develops.

S I think Lester one spot, but not sure on the other. I think Ha-Ha is the more natural safety but Sunseri is the better all around player. I think it will vary between the two depending on the formation. Collins will see the field early as a freshman. I also would like to see J williams break out this year. N Perry will be another to watch for depth.

K/P I just hope whoever has a solid year.

I know I jumped some upperclassman for depth or positions but I think every year we bring in new players that can contribute early but we also see these players pass returners. It is a great situation to be in to be on the top and get great recruits every year. I also think our depth is probably better than last year and think our offense may be one of the best under Saban. It will be hard to replace the trio of MI, TR, and JJ on the field at one time, but I think across the board this may be our best come fall with starters and depth at every position. Which we may need if the D has some early hurdles to overcome with all the new faces. But to be honest this may be our fastest defense we have put on the field under Saban.

 

[TidefaninOS]

Does anybody else think that Fowler could be used effectively in the H-Back position? I know he's a good running back, but if Dee Hart is completely healthy, I see him as challenging for the 2nd running back position. He was doing good until his injury last year.

As far as the QB position, AJ and P. Sims were pretty much neck & neck last year all through fall camp, from what I heard. AJ won the job strictly because of a little more experience. I think it's AJ's position to lose, but I'd like to see a lot of both of them.

 

[Tug Tide]

Does anybody else think that Fowler could be used effectively in the H-Back position? I know he's a good running back, but if Dee Hart is completely healthy, I see him as challenging for the 2nd running back position. He was doing good until his injury last year.

As far as the QB position, AJ and P. Sims were pretty much neck & neck last year all through fall camp, from what I heard. AJ won the job strictly because of a little more experience. I think it's AJ's position to lose, but I'd like to see a lot of both of them.

As far as Fowler at HB I also think he could be a beast in both the passing and blocking assignments. I know CNS hasn't typically used a fullback, but man what a lead blocker he would be.

QB's: AJ's job to loose. He improved so much and showed the leadership that's so critical from the position. I am hoping PS see plenty of meaningful snaps, not just mop-up duty, but I don't expect AJ's play will lead to the QB controversy that is so fun/agonizing depending on your prospective.

 

[REBELZED]

I'm also curious about the QB position. I know AJ just won a NC but we've got a 5 star QB sitting on the bench that could be at least as good as AJ and maybe better. I hope we get to see both of them enough in the spring to see if they' could possibly be sharing duties in the coming season. Now I'm the guys who prior to last season was saying it's AJ's gig to lose. He'll start if he ain't dead or hospitalized. But this season is different. Sims has been holding the clip board for a year and knows the system as well as AJ did when he started this past season. CNS has played 2 QBs before......

What in the... I don't even...

AJ just won a NC with an impeccable performance and you want the backup to see more time? There are some things I'll never understand...

 

[buzzincuzzin]

"We" won't know until mid September, but the battle for #s 5 and 6 on the OL is gonna be epic.

 

[CrimSonami]

Great thread. This one has potential to carry on through our visit to Jerry World and beyond. Considering all the young talent and limited experience at defensive back I'm a lot more interested, as well as moderately concerned, about corner and safety postions particularly in Dime Package. And one name I didn't see so far is Bradley Sylve. Is he or is he not switching to CB? Is his football IQ as strong as his talent? All in all it's a great position to be in knowing all this talent is available and so many startting lineup scenarios are possible. MAN!!!!!!!!! IT'S GREAT TO BE A TIDE FAN!!!!!!!!! RTR!!!

 

[bamakeeb]

How is Fowler in reading coverage and making adjustments and catching and etc? That's where Smelley was so good. It's pretty well documented that he struggled some in blocking. So that tells me the staff wants the H Back to be a receiving threat. Does Fowler translate well there?

The OL drama will ramp up once we find out where BJ is going to play. Personally, I'd like to see if he can make AA at Center. Can you say heisman?

 

[bamaslammer]

To me the most critical battles will be in the secondary. No other position has the potential to get us beat quicker and no other position returns so few experienced players. I think Sunsuri and Ha Ha will battle it out and end up both playing. I think Ha Ha will take the safety spot but only because the Dime position fits Sunsuri's versatility more. Don't forget about Jarrick Williams though. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get off the bench. The other two corners spots, corner and nickle, It's going to be a mad dash between junior college transfers and redshirted players. Who knows how that will shake out.

I have no clue how they are planning to handle the nose tackle spot

The other interesting question is the running back position. We all know Lacy should start, but after that you have a true freshman in Yeldon, Last year's super star running back Dee Hart who is recovering from a bum knee, Bruiser Jalston Fowler who played well but might have more potential at H-Back, and Blake Sims who though well behind the others last year improved dramatically last season. If he were to put on some serious muscle this winter he could still make a play for playing time. I think the verbal commitment of Altee Tenpenny could effect decisions this spring. possibly making it easier to possibly move either Fowler or Blake Sims to a different position.

 

[bamakeeb]

Agreed on the importance of DB. Great potential and great risk if we don't play up to it.

 

[crimson2713]

Hey don't forget Damion Square at DE. He has been very good at times and will have a break out senior season. Pagan or Stinson will be the other end with Williams in the middle imho

 

[GrayTide]

Good stuff !!

I'm also curious about the QB position. I know AJ just won a NC but we've got a 5 star QB sitting on the bench that could be at least as good as AJ and maybe better. I hope we get to see both of them enough in the spring to see if they' could possibly be sharing duties in the coming season. Now I'm the guys who prior to last season was saying it's AJ's gig to lose. He'll start if he ain't dead or hospitalized. But this season is different. Sims has been holding the clip board for a year and knows the system as well as AJ did when he started this past season. CNS has played 2 QBs before......

I am curious about this too, but from the stand point (and we all know it is going to come up sooner or later) of will there be a QB controversy and will there be talk of a transfer.

 

[Cadillac55]

We do have the guy that can run wide and stretch the defense, Blake Sims. Not sure how Hart's speed will change following the surgery, but of the guys down there in the backfield with homerun speed, it is Blake Sims.

I'm most curious about RB and to see if someone steps up who can run the ball wide to stretch defenses. That seemed to be one area that didn't get much attention on offense last year. Course with Trent, who needed to go wide!

 

[TheRealPokeChop]

I comment only to say anyone thinking the qb race will be interesting is fooling themselves for some reason. AJ is our starter and if he keeps playing the way he did the last two games of the year, he'll be one of and maybe the best qb in the conference next year. I for one do not believe that the AJ Sims battle was as close as we or the coaches even made out, there never seemed to be a doubt who the leader of the team was and who the best qb was.

if that race was close, AJ got so much separation from sims during the season that i just dont see any rational way that sims would surpass or surplant him for any reason other than injury.
There were times AJ struggled but the same can be said for GMAC at times but he never yielded much pt to AJ don't see it happening with Sims.

I am interested to see who takes over at the LB spots, some freshman coming in who may make some noise there, not to mention what may happen at NT.

Replacing barron become interesting since Vinnie was so imporant to us down the stretch but many, fans anway, consider HAHA to be the favorite there due to his potential. Nick perry is another name that should be kept in mind.

RB will get hairy, we assume lacy takes over at the one, but 2 may be a situational thing. Fowler, Hart, Sims and Yeldon will have an interesting battle and they each present different skill sets from power back, to "scat back".

 

[Ole Man Dan]

This should give you a good look at what DC brings to the Tide. Four specific thing you will notice. The kid looks to enjoy making blocks that leave a mark. His footwork to set up cuts in his routes is perfect. And at the end, watch where his dad has put in a good bit of work in teaching him to read DB's/coverage and adjust his route accordingly. And finally, watch his use of his hands vs press coverage.
Dad has taught Duron well!
The video is long but worth the look.[/QUOTE

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What can I say except WOW!!!
DC's got some moves. (Maybe as good or better than his Dad)
I watched the video twice. I saw great footwork, and great hands.
It get's me excited for next year.

PS: Chris Carter's a pretty dang good receivers coach too.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Does anybody else think that Fowler could be used effectively in the H-Back position? I know he's a good running back, but if Dee Hart is completely healthy, I see him as challenging for the 2nd running back position. He was doing good until his injury last year.

As far as the QB position, AJ and P. Sims were pretty much neck & neck last year all through fall camp, from what I heard. AJ won the job strictly because of a little more experience. I think it's AJ's position to lose, but I'd like to see a lot of both of them.

If you watched the first couple of games last year, it was pretty obvious that AJ had moved a step ahead of Sims. AJ solidified that lead the more he played.
Sims has the makings of a very good QB, but until he catches AJ,
he's carrying the board.
As always... Sims is one injury away from being 'The Man'.
It's a luxury having two very good quarterbacks.