By Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief
Oct. 9, 2011
The 2011 edition of the Alabama Crimson Tide is off to another high-ranking beginning, and we take a look at it in depth in our first-half report card.
Quarterbacks: B+
So far, A.J. McCarron has done everything asked of him. He’s made plays downfield and he’s kept mistakes to a minimum. He looked more human than expected against Penn State and Florida, but rebounded nicely against a veteran Vanderbilt secondary and appears comfortable running the team. While the coaches sometimes have to get him to contain himself, as Saban did in the well-watched “Calm … down!” clip from the Florida game, there doesn’t appear to be much rookie nervousness left in him. Unfortunately for backup Phillip Sims, nerves do still appear to be a problem there. Sims looked a bit rough around the edges against Kent State in the opener, and things never picked up significantly from there. Alabama is hoping it doesn’t have to find out what would happen if A.J. McCarron got knocked out of a game. Blake Sims has yet to make an appearance under center. If McCarron can display a bit more consistency, or Phillip Sims step up his game, Alabama could be an “A” student here in the second half.
Running backs: A+
There’s nothing but praise to go around here. Trent Richardson is off to a Heisman hopeful start, as predicted. But the real story may be Eddie Lacy, who has answered all questions about ball security and versatility. The only question left for him is one of durability, as Lacy has been nicked up now in parts of back-to-back seasons. Jalston Fowler has settled in as a capable third back and part-time fullback. Blake Sims hasn’t gotten much work, but when he has, has appeared to be a step up from Demetrius Goode, whose place he took in the playing rotation. There isn’t much to say here other than sit back, and enjoy the show when Alabama’s running backs have the ball.
Wide receivers: B
Talk about hard to evaluate. Marquis Maze has been the only player consistently performing at a high level, although Darius Hanks is ramping up to that level after being ineligible the first two games. Tight end Michael Williams is finding a greater role in the passing game, but he shares a trait with several of Alabama’s reserve wideouts: He needs to be able to get open more consistently. Brad Smelley at H-back has arguably been the surprise of the fall, not only as a receiver but also as a blocker. Blocking has never been his strong suit, and was an issue in the spring, but so far this fall he’s done a good job with it. Perhaps the biggest question surrounding this unit coming into the year was who would replace Julio Jones, and Maze has done that to a great extent, despite being a completely different kind of player. In terms of which receiver has stepped up as a consistent third option, the answer is no one … yet. DeAndrew White took a big step towards that goal against Vanderbilt, but aside from the Vandy and Kent State games, he’s been MIA. Kenny Bell and Brandon Gibson have done some nice things, but haven’t really challenged defenses downfield. Neither has Kevin Norwood, who has been in and out of the rotation, as has Christion Jones. The praise Michael Bowman received following a pair of fall scrimmages has yet to translate to games. Reserve tight ends Chris Underwood, Brandon Lewis, Brian Vogler and Harrison Jones have yet to be seriously involved in the passing game.
Offensive line: B+
The last two games, the line has given an “A” effort. Prior to that, however, things weren’t so rosy. The opener against Kent State was borderline bad, for that matter, and Alabama mostly played hang-on football against Penn State in Week 2. But beginning with the second half of the North Texas game and continuing until now, Alabama has started to jell. Over the last two weeks, Chance Warmack and William Vlachos have particularly raised their games. Barrett Jones is having a solid season. The right side of the line has been mostly good, but both guard Anthony Steen and tackle D.J. Fluker could be more consistent and no one would complain. Alabama hasn’t played many of the backups beyond tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, which is somewhat surprising given that guards John Michael Boswell and Alfred McCullough are seniors. This unit may not be in “A” territory yet, but it is trending upward.
Coaching/playcalling: A
With several new coaches on staff, we’re able for a change to evaluate last-year-to-this-year performance in some areas. Alabama appears to have gotten a significant upgrade at WR coaching in the form of Mike Groh. Marquis Maze is making plays he hasn’t made in three prior seasons, but the development of off-receivers like Kenny Bell and the emergence of DeAndrew White has been more telling. Things also look better at tight end. As for offensive line, where Jeff Stoutland took over for Joe Pendry, things got off to a rough start but may be coming around. Alabama has looked more aggressive in the running game than it did at any point in 2010, and pass protection has been acceptable. And someone needs to give a tip of the hat to RB coach Burton Burns, who turns in consistent efforts every year. As for playcalling, Alabama’s gameplans have displayed good balance and have not asked too much of the young McCarron at quarterback. The Tide’s execution has been excellent the last four weeks, and is on an upswing rather than stagnant.
OFFENSE OVERALL: A-
Alabama ranks just inside the “A” line, possibly a B+ depending on what one thinks of the offensive line through the first six games. There have been no issues with playcalling this time around, which was a concern during the first half of the 2010 season. Alabama appears determined to establish an identity as a physical team that can run the football. Alabama ranks 19th in rushing offense and 73rd in passing offense, but is averaging 217 yards per game in both categories, a nice balance. Now that the real meat of the schedule is arriving, it will be interesting to see how much more open the offense gets.
Defensive line: B
A big improvement over the first half of last year, Alabama’s defensive line has been stellar in run defense. The Crimson Tide still lacks a consistent pass rush from the trio up front, however. The biggest improvement over 2010 has been the play of Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry at nosetackle, where both are turning into forces. Jesse Williams has made a nice debut at weakside end. The strongside end position, however, may be the place for improvement, as Damion Square seems to work much better when rushing from the nose in certain rush packages, or when the Tide goes to a 4-man front. Quinton Dial and Ed Stinson have both emerged as capable backups, and Undra Billingsley has played more lately after being banged up early in the year. There is still improvement that can be made, but at least the line has been solid.
Linebackers: A+
The best unit in the country, hands-down. Dont’a Hightower is back to 2009 form, while Courtney Upshaw has become dominant, finally giving Saban the play-making Jack linebacker his system covets. The Nico Johnson-C.J. Mosley combination in the middle has been almost as good as Hightower, and Jerrell Harris is playing at a level ten times greater than what Chavis Williams could give in 2010. Adrian Hubbard and Alex Watkins are demons as pass-rush specialists, and the future is bright in the form of Trey DePriest. Even Tana Patrick has looked like a legitimate option suddenly. There are no weaknesses here, and upon Mosley’s return this unit has no peer in the college game.
Defensive backs: A+
Like the linebacking corp, Alabama’s secondary has been pretty much flawless. The starters are veteran, as are the primary backups, but the young players have displayed great potential as well when playing late in blowouts. There isn’t a more physical safety combination in the country than Robert Lester and Mark Barron, and corners Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner and DeQuan Menzie have been on point. The secondary is good enough that Alabama can take extreme liberties with its blitz packages up front.
Coaching/playcalling: A+
There’s really no way to overstate how good a job this side of the ball has done. Mike Rumph has been a nice addition at defensive line, and the rest of the positions look extremely tight from a fundamentals standpoint. The blitz packages Alabama has designed so far have been well-called and well-disguised, and the effectiveness of this unit demands an A+ be given. There really has been no sign of weakness at all.
DEFENSE OVERALL: A
Aside from some continuing concerns about the defensive end positions, the Alabama defense has gotten off to a much stronger start over last year, and has already shut down a pair of offenses (Arkansas, Florida) that were expected to be among the league’s most impressive units. Talent is stacked at virtually every position, and the veteran makeup of the unit prevents a lot of breakdowns or letdowns. It’s very likely the best defense in the country this year and one of the best in school history.
SPECIAL TEAMS OVERALL: B-
This is a hard unit to grade. Alabama’s return game is stellar – the Tide ranks 17th in punt returns and 7th in kickoff returns, thanks to Marquis Maze. Placekicking has been acceptable, but kickoffs and punts have been average to below-average. Kickoff and punt coverage has been solid, but Florida started to find holes in Alabama’s kickoff coverage and Vanderbilt took notice. Still, Alabama has made far more plays in the kicking game than it has yielded, which has to figure into the grading in some way.
OVERALL: A-
Special teams pull the overall grade down somewhat, but not enough to take Alabama out of the “A” performance zone. This has been a solid opening to the season, and one Alabama can be proud of. But the goal isn’t to get an “A” at the six-game mark; rather, the goal is a national championship. Alabama can rejoice in that it is one of only a handful of teams that has looked good enough so far to compete for one.
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