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re: Official In-Season Practice, Injury Reports and Press Conferences Thread: 12-0
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:10 am to TideSaint
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:10 am to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama returned to the practice field Tuesday afternoon for its second practice of Ole Miss preparation. The Crimson Tide players practiced outdoors and full pads on a mostly-cloudy, 84-degree afternoon.
Here are several observations from the media viewing portion of Alabama’s Tuesday practice in Tuscaloosa:
- Jalen Hurts led the quarterbacks through individual passing drills again Tuesday. When the position group broke into two lines, he and Blake Barnett led them with David Cornwell and Cooper Bateman behind them, respectively.
- The first-team offensive line was again comprised of, from left to right, Cam Robinson, Lester Cotton, Bradley Bozeman, Ross Pierschbacher and Jonah Williams. Alphonse Taylor worked at right guard with the second-team line. Taylor replaced Pierschbacher in Saturday’s game versus Western Kentucky as the Tide running game has struggled in the first two weeks.
- Johnny Dwight was back on the practice field Tuesday after missing, at least, the viewing period of Monday’s practice. Dwight wore a No. 9 scout-team jersey, which represents Ole Miss defensive end Breeland Speaks.
- O.J. Smith also wore a scout-team jerseys, sporting No. 93 for Rebels defensive tackle D.J. Jones.
- Robert Foster, who stood off to the side without his helmet yesterday, ran routes and caught passes at full speed Tuesday. Foster did not appear to be limited or favoring any type of injury in the two media viewing periods.
- Richie Petitbon (knee) has lost his black, no-contact jersey and worked with the scout-team offensive line.
*** What’s next: Alabama will be back on the practice field Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. CT for its final open practice of the week. Head coach Nick Saban will hold his final press conference of the week after that at approximately 6 p.m.
LINK
Good to hear on Petitbon. He was a nasty SOB in high school. Maybe he can push for playing time when he gets fully healthy.
6
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:18 am to TideSaint
Huskypup's Weekly Thoughts via BOL (two posts):
quote:
One of the more interesting things to me is the way that possessions screw with our understanding and interpretation of statistics. A major theme this week was the offensive “dominance” that Louisville put on against Syracuse. But that’s really deceptive; Louisville, due in large part to a big-play offense, scored extremely quickly. That meant they had an absurd 19 possessions against Syracuse. Most teams try to avoid that number of possessions against inferior opponents due to injury concerns. But it also means the numbers get over-inflated.
Here is a comparison of Louisville against three SEC teams versus low-end FBS teams:
Louisville – Scored on 10 of 19 possessions – 3.26 points/possession
Alabama – Scored on 4 of 12 possessions – 3.16 points/possession
Vanderbilt – Scored on 8 of 14 possessions – 3.58 points/possession
Auburn – Scored on 9 of 11 possessions – 4.64 points/possession
(possessions exclude game-ending kneel downs)
There are three very interesting stats here:
First, Louisville scored often, but they didn’t score touchdowns all that frequently. Alabama, despite only 4 scoring possessions, averaged almost as many points/possession due to defensive scores and touchdowns. Auburn, despite scoring over twice as often as Alabama, was about 50% higher.
Second, Louisville didn’t score that often. Only about half of Louisville’s possessions resulted in points of any kind, compared to over 80% of Auburn’s possessions.
Finally, the closest SEC equivalent to Louisville’s performance is arguably Vandy. Vanderbilt scored slightly more points/possession, and they also had a higher percentage of scoring drives (57% to 53%).
Louisville had a serious “wow” factor because they generated over 10 yards/play. However, that is largely a product of style, as Petrino throws downfield on a high percentage of plays, and they generate a lot of big plays running their quarterback. However, their offense isn’t overly consistent. Of their first 13 possessions, Louisville drives went as follows:
Touchdown – 6 times
3 and Out – 4 times
Fumbled – 2 times
Interception – 1 time
While there are a lot of points there, Louisville was actually more likely to either go 3 and out or turn it over than they were to score. That indicates a volatile boom-or-bust offense, and one that is extremely susceptible to a bizarre loss on a bad day.
One of the other reasons it looked so much better on TV is in large part due to the fact that Louisville had 12 possessions in the first half. That’s as many as or more than Alabama and Auburn had in their entire games. Put differently, by the time Louisville had scored 42 points (with 3 turnovers), Alabama had scored 38 (with 1 turnover) and Auburn had scored 51 points (with 1 turnover). There is a strong argument that Louisville, despite the high yards/play, performed worse than Alabama or Auburn from the perspective of winning the game. Thus, I would be very critical of early pundits who are going to go gaga over Louisville’s offensive production. It isn’t a mirage (they are still having crazy yards/play averages), but the production doesn’t actually translate all that well into winning ballgames.
SEC Quarterbacks:
Fun fact: there are currently 3 quarterbacks in the SEC ranked in the top 5 in both yards/play and QB Rating. They are Eason, Hurts, and White: two true freshman and a true sophomore, with Eason actually leading in both categories. As usual, all the pundits picked well-known returning starters as their All-SEC players (Kelly and Dobbs). However, while Kelly was a top-5 rated guy at both positions (and quite possibly will end there again, as FSU is skewing his numbers), Dobbs was only 8th in the SEC in QB Rating and 10th in yards/play last season. Simply put, Dobbs wasn’t particularly good last year, and it was almost inevitable that some of the first-time starters would end up being better. Further, it was extremely misguided to assume that, because 4 guys ahead of him were leaving, Dobbs would suddenly improve. Even if he were to jump from 8th to 4th as a result of the departures, it would have been because other teams got worse, there simply wasn’t much reason to expect a multi-year starter (throwing to the same players behind a worse line) to suddenly get that much better.
Some Teams May Not Be What You Expect:
Here are the bottom-five SEC teams in two major categories:
Worst 5 in yards/attempt allowed:
Miss St. – 6.8 yards/attempt
LSU – 6.9 yards/attempt
Auburn – 7.9 yards/attempt
Ole Miss – 8 yards/attempt
Kentucky – 9.5 yards/attempt
My main takeaway here: It is very surprising to see LSU and Auburn on this list. Going into this season, LSU was expected to have one of the best secondaries in the conference, and Auburn was supposed to be greatly improved. However, LSU (who was only 9th last year) has regressed to 11th, and Auburn has actually fallen from 6th to 12th. Some of that may be due to the opponents, but I note that Clemson actually averaged less yards/attempt against Troy than they did Auburn. Both of these pass defenses may have some cracks that could turn into real issues later in the year.
Worst 5 in yards/carry (on offense):
Tennessee – 4.11 yards/carry
Ole Miss – 4.08 yards/carry
Arkansas – 3.45 yards/carry
Kentucky – 3.22 yards/carry
South Carolina – 2.76 yards/carry
It’s really, really interesting to see Arkansas on this list. Even though they faced a TCU defense that gave up over 10 yards/play against South Dakota State, Arkansas is still the 12th worst rushing offense in the conference (in comparison, they were 4th last year). Allen has a live arm, which was able to generate offense against poor TCU and LT secondaries, but this should be a huge red flag for anyone that is expecting Arkansas to be a sleeper pick in the SEC this season.
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:19 am to TideSaint
quote:
Regarding Ole Miss vs. Alabama:
First off, the quarterbacks. There is really one reason Jalen Hurts has won the job. It isn’t his arm (he’s probably not quite the passer that Barnett is at this point), and it’s probably not even the athleticism. The reason he won the job is that he’s more composed. Barnett still looks shell-shocked when he steps onto the field, and spends most of his time looking to the sideline for instruction. Hurts, by contrast, is directing the players to get lined up and clearly seems in control. Whereas Hurts lined up Robert Foster to avoid a negative play, Barnett is motioning a man into the snap (creating one). Given the talent on offense, there is no question that Saban wants the quarterback who will help them avoid negative plays. Strangely enough, it’s Hurts.
On the other side, I really am of the opinion that Chad Kelly is a first-round talent. He is very mobile, has adequate size, and has a cannon of an arm. Honestly, he’s probably the best pure passing talent that the conference has seen since Stafford. His issue, which still isn’t corrected, is that he is also every bit as liable to make poor decisions as Bo Wallace. In part due to his arm talent, Kelly has never really learned to hold the ball, he’s going to throw it whether his guy is open or not. Alabama wins this game if they force the throw early so that Kelly is throwing to a covered target, which should result in multiple turnovers. The Ole Miss offense isn’t going to go silently into the night; their offense is volatile by nature, and they are almost as likely to cause themselves to be blown out as they are to put up big numbers.
On the other side of the ball, the game will be dictated by how Ole Miss plays defense. There is really no question here: Ole Miss’s weakness is the secondary. There are two ways they can play:
The first is to play tight and take away the quick passing game. This seems doubly-beneficial: it 1) reduces the ability for our young quarterback to easily get the ball in space to our elite receivers while 2) buying time for their pass rush to come home. The issue is that if our quarterback, who is mobile, can buy time in the pocket, they will be extremely susceptible to big plays down the field. This is exactly the gamble that USC took and lost.
The second approach is to give a big cushion and let us have the short throw. This takes away from their pass rush, and it allowed Francois to pick them apart. However, it also requires our quarterback to make smart decisions and take what’s available. If they take this approach and Hurts tries to go for the deep play, he will be throwing into double coverage and/or will face heavy pressure. I honestly think this is the smarter play and what we will see: they will give us the easy play and simply challenge us to execute early. Only if Alabama starts succeeding will Ole Miss start playing press coverage and gamble with the blitz.
I’m guessing that Alabama executes relatively well with the pass, though the run may struggle a bit. After a few drives where things are close, Ole Miss is forced to play the receivers tighter, which ends up leading to big plays (and people suddenly declaring that the Alabama offense is “clicking” as a result). I also believe that this Alabama defense is tremendously better suited to generate negative plays and turnovers. As a result, I think Alabama wins by multiple scores.
Alabama -34
Ole Miss - 17
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:32 am to TideSaint
quote:
It’s been a great year for the Alabama Crimson Tide, especially when compared to another one of the biggest brands in sports.
Alabama has played in AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, three times since the start of the 2015 season. In those three games, the Crimson Tide is 3-0. In that same time frame, Dallas has played nine home games at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys are 1-8 in that same time frame.
Alabama opened its 2015 season in AT&T Stadium with a 35-17 win over Wisconsin. The Crimson Tide returned to Arlington to beat Michigan State 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Eve. In Week 1 of this season, Alabama demolished USC 52-6 in Jerry World. The Crimson Tide’s average scoring margin at AT&T Stadium since the start of last season is +34.0 points.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, had a chance to get their second home win since September 2015 on Sunday, but they ran out of time as they tried to drive into range for an attempt at a game-winning field goal. Their average scoring margin at home since the beginning of last season is -8.3 points.
LINK
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:47 am to TideSaint
quote:
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Two things jumped out when watching Ole Miss’ season opener vs. Florida State two weeks ago: quarterback Chad Kelly will turn the ball over, and the Rebels offensive line will allow sacks. Ole Miss surrendered 6 sacks in their opener vs. Florida State.
Getting pressure on Kelly and forcing him into an errant throw or two will be key when top-ranked Alabama travels to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Kelly is a quarterback with a big arm. Quarterbacks with big arms often like to take risks and force the ball into coverage. Kelly threw 3 interceptions against the Seminoles. Two of those came in the second half. Alabama’s defense has 7 sacks and 3 interceptions through two games.
“We love quarterbacks that take risks,” Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen said. “That gives us more opportunities for us. We’re just going to go out there, do our job, play a good game defensively.”
Kelly is the most talented quarterback Alabama will face this season. Furthermore, Ole Miss features the most potent offensive attack Alabama will face this season.
Through two games, Kelly has thrown for 532 yards and 7 touchdowns while completing 62 percent (41-of-66) of his passes. He led the SEC with 311 passing yards per game last year. He threw for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns last season.
“He’s an outstanding passer. He’s very accurate with the ball,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “He knows this offense very well. He has the ability to extend plays. He’s a really good competitor and he’s sort of a playmaker type guy. And the combination of those things make him very effective in terms of what they do.
“It’s going to be important that we do a good job pushing the pocket on him, not letting him scramble around, but at the same time effecting him where he can’t be as good a passer as he’s capable of. We do that with good coverage as well as good pass coverage.”
A lackluster running game is one thing that limits Ole Miss’ offense. The Rebels top running back, Akeem Judd, has carried the ball just 19 times in the first two games.
As Saban alluded to, Kelly’s scrambling ability is an added element defenses must account for. Kelly is the type of player who can take off and pick up 9 yards on a key 3rd-and-8 if the defense leaves an opening.
Kelly threw for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns in Ole Miss’ 43-37 win in Tuscaloosa last season. He also rushed for a touchdown.
By design, Ole Miss’ offense puts stress on defenses with run-pass options (RPOs). Kelly burned Alabama on one of those plays in last season’s game. Kelly appeared to be ready to take off, but as Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey stepped up away from the receiver to stop Kelly, Kelly tossed the ball over Humphrey’s head. The result was a 73-yard touchdown to receiver Cody Core.
“The one thing I can say is that you have to have your eyes in the right spot,” said Alabama safety Eddie Jackson. “They’re the type of team that their offense likes to come out fast. They’ll spread the field. They have receivers who can stretch the field vertically. You just have to do a good job of keeping those guys cut off and making plays.”
LINK
Posted on 9/14/16 at 9:49 am to TideSaint
quote:
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama returned to the practice field in full pads on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide worked outside as the team continued its game preparation for Ole Miss.
Kickoff in Oxford, Mississippi, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
What we saw
-Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts led the group through drills for the second straight day. Hurts is expected to make his first road start on Saturday at Ole Miss. Hurts was followed by Blake Barnett, Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell.
-Alphonse Taylor worked at right guard with the second offensive line group during the media’s viewing period.
-Alabama’s nickel group had Marlon Humphrey and Anthony Averett at the cornerback spots. Ronnie Harrison and Eddie Jackson were the safeties. Minkah Fitzpatrick lined up at star (Alabama’s fifth defensive back). Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton were the two linebackers.
-The second nickel group had Levi Wallace and freshman Aaron Robinson at the cornerback spots. Freshman Shyheim Carter lined up at the star position. Deionte Thompson and Hootie Jones were the safeties. Trevon Diggs shadowed Jones. Keith Holcombe and Rashaan Evans were the two linebackers. Lyndell “Mack” Wilson shadowed Evans.
-Freshman Jared Mayden appears to be the odd man out from the defensive backs Alabama signed in the 2016 recruiting cycle. Aaron Robinson and Shyheim Carter are working with the second team. Nigel Knott is still recovering from his injury and is likely headed for a redshirt.
-Linebacker Ben Davis is working with the scout team. He wore No. 3 to simulate Ole Miss linebacker DeMarquis Gates.
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After they were done working with the nickel group, Foster and Hamilton got some extra coaching from defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. Pruitt appeared to be quizzing the duo. Given how many run-pass options Ole Miss has, the emphasis will be on Foster and Hamilton to avoid being fooled for a big play.
He said what? (quote of the day)
“Yeah, we talked about that. He’s kinda mad that I didn’t let him get it, but I didn’t even see him, so we just laughed it off.” — Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison joking about taking an interception away from cornerback Marlon Humphrey
LINK
Posted on 9/14/16 at 2:27 pm to TideSaint
quote:
True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts will likely make his second career start on the road at Ole Miss this Saturday, as No. 1 Alabama opens SEC play against the Rebels at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. And even if he isn’t the first quarterback on the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Hurts will definitely see plenty of playing time in the Crimson Tide’s third game of 2016.
The Channelview, Texas, native has thrown for 405 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 29-of-47 passing (61.7 percent) in his first two collegiate games, both of which have been wins. And even though there isn’t much film on Hurts, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze has been impressed by what he has seen so far from the former four-star signal caller.
“The first two things that jump off the page is his athleticism, when he’s able to use his legs to create more time or to run,” Freeze said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference. “And the second thing, his accuracy with the deep ball is really impressive. He’s got a strong, strong arm.
“There’s times the DBs level off and think, ‘The guy’s on the move, I should be in good shape,’ and you’re not, because of his arm strength. And he’s very accurate with it. The shots they’ve taken down the field have been very effective because of those things.”
Lane Kiffin has certainly dialed up some deep throws for the first-year quarterback, and both of his biggest pickups through the air in the first two games have been longer than 50 yards (71 versus USC, 51 versus Western Kentucky).
Hurts has also scored two rushing touchdowns on 20 carries, although his 51 rushing yards have been skewed by sacks. Up to this point, he’s been decisive, not explosive, with his legs. His longest run was a nine-yard scamper in the opener, but there have been no questions about the freshman’s dual-threat ability, which alters the Rebels’ defensive game plan a bit.
“You’re probably rushing a little different,” Freeze said, “and that’s probably all I’d want to say.”
LINK
Posted on 9/14/16 at 5:06 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama returned to the practice field Wednesday afternoon for its third practice of Ole Miss prep -- its final open practice of the week. The Crimson Tide players practiced outdoors and full pads on a partly-cloudy, 93-degree afternoon.
Here are several observations from the media viewing portion of Alabama’s Wednesday practice in Tuscaloosa:
- Cam Sims (shoulder) was running routes and moving well after an injury kept him out of the home opener.
- The first-team offensive line of Cam Robinson, Lester Cotton, Bradley Bozeman, Ross Pierschbacher and Jonah Williams remained the same during the two viewing periods. Interior line coach Brent Key could be heard across the practice field. That’s been one of the noticeable differences from last season when Mario Cristobal was the only O-line coach.
- Jalen Hurts and Blake Barnett worked with running backs Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and B.J. Emmons.
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- Rashaan Evans worked with the inside linebackers during the first period’s individual drills. He got some work in the dime package, when the defense was split into two groups in the second period (secondary and defensive front).
- The usual suspects of Jonathan Allen, Dalvin Tomlinson, Da'Ron Payne and Da'Shawn Hand were the defensive linemen that were in the rotation in dime. They have consistently been the team’s top-four defensive linemen.
- The dime secondary remained the same with Marlon Humphrey and Anthony Averett at corner, Eddie Jackson and Hootie Jones at safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick at Star, Ronnie Harrison at Money and Reuben Foster and Shaun Hamilton at linebacker.
- Freshmen cornerbacks Jared Mayden and Nigel Knott wore scout-team jersey Nos. 1 and 23, respectively, which represented Ole Miss defensive backs Tony Bridges (6-foot, 185 pounds) and Carlos Davis (5-foot-8, 170 pounds).
*** What’s next: Alabama head coach Nick Saban will hold a post-practice press conference at 6 p.m. CT.
LINK
Posted on 9/15/16 at 10:42 am to TideSaint
quote:
TUSCALOOSA -- Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide players were not at all happy -- and some were even disappointed -- with the way they played in the team’s 38-10 win over Western Kentucky this past week. They attributed the mental mistakes that occurred against the Hilltoppers in Alabama’s home opener to a poor week of practice.
With the Tide’s conference opener against Ole Miss three days away, practices have improved from a week ago.
“We’ve had a better week of practice, players have been more focused,” Saban said in a press conference Wednesday evening. “This is a difficult preparation, trying to get the scout team to do no-huddle for the offense and trying to work out some of the bugs and some of the mistakes that we need to get corrected from a week ago in terms of our ability to execute with any kind of consistency, which this week will be compounded a bit by the fact that we’re playing on the road, compounded by the fact that we’ll have to deal with noise and also the fact that it’s going to take greater focus and concentration to be able to go out there and execute play in and play out. This team will be tested by a very good team.”
The Tide committed 12 penalties, struggled to run the football and gave up a late touchdown to the Hilltoppers in Bryant-Denny Stadium last week. Saban said he had never been “'this disappointed after winning a game, maybe ever.”
On top of better practice this week, Alabama is preparing to face the Rebels’ uptempo attack and quarterback Chad Kelly. That’s a tall task for its scout team, but according to corner Minkah Fitzpatrick, it has succeeded in emulating Ole Miss.
“The scout team did a great job in practice,” Fitzpatrick said. “Coach Saban actually mentioned it today how well they were doing. They’re bringing in guys from both sidelines and moving real fast, they’re fresh. They’re running, and we’re going 8-9 plays in a row with hands on our hips, getting tired, but it’s going to get us right for the game.”
The Tide will look to snap a two-game losing streak to Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, as well as play mistake-free football. The leaders on the team, including wideout ArDarius Stewart, have made sure that starts at practice.
“Last week we didn’t like what happened, how we played, how we finished,” Stewart said. “This week we’re trying to capitalize on the little things. All the penalties we’ve had, we’re trying to eliminate those and to come out faster.”
LINK
Posted on 9/15/16 at 10:43 am to TideSaint
quote:
TUSCALOOSA -- His teammates have already noticed it.
Several of Alabama’s veterans showered true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts with praise for his poise and leadership Monday in the Crimson Tide’s first two games of 2016, which were two wins Hurts saw the most first-team reps.
And Wednesday, in his final press conference of the week, Alabama head coach Nick Saban shared his players’ sentiment on the freshman when asked what he’s seen from Hurts to believe can handle a raucous SEC road environment.
“The one thing that I like about Jalen is that he’s got a good disposition about playing the next play,” Saban said. “We’re going through a learning curve with him to get him to be confident and understand and make choices and decisions that are going to be beneficial to him and the offense. It’s going to be a work in progress, but the thing that I like about him is that he doesn’t get frustrated. He doesn’t get all discombobulated. He has a lot of poise.”
Through two games, Hurts has thrown for 405 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 29-of-47 passing (61.7 percent) after enrolling early in January. He also scored two touchdowns with his legs. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said the first two things that “jump off the page” about the first-year signal caller were his athleticism and accuracy with the deep ball.
But the first two games occurred in either a neutral site or on the Tide’s home field. This week Hurts and Alabama will open SEC play at the Rebels’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Sound has been used this week in the Crimson Tide’s practices to help the freshmen -- including Blake Barnett -- in what will be the toughest challenge to date for the entire Alabama team.
As the offense broadens around him, Hurts will look to lock up the starting job -- and the win -- in his first true road test this weekend while he continues to develop as a leader in the huddle, on the field and in Alabama’s locker room.
“I think he has a lot of inner confidence,” Saban said of Hurts. “He believes that he can do it. It’s important to him. He wants to do it. We have to trust that that’s going to help him develop and do the kind of things that he needs to do. We’re going to support him to do everything in this game that he needs to do and if Blake has to play, we’re going to support him as well.”
LINK
Posted on 9/15/16 at 10:44 am to TideSaint
quote:
TUSCALOOSA -- In Saturday’s home opener, Alabama made a move at right guard during the game, replacing Ross Pierschbacher with last year’s starter Alphonse Taylor. The decision came after an inconsistent showing from the interior offensive line in the opener and again early on versus Western Kentucky. And more changes could be coming for the Tide.
“Last week we played Shank half the game, aight, at right guard,” head coach Nick Saban said in his final news conference of the week Wednesday. “And we practiced Ross back at left guard, Shank at right guard, Lester Cotton at left guard, and we feel confident in all three of those players. Obviously Shank and Ross have more experience because they started for a whole season, and I think that experience may be beneficial to them in this game.
“But we have not decided who we’re starting at those positions yet.”
Struggles in the run game at the interior of the offensive line have prompted these experiments and potential moves ahead of Alabama’s conference opener at Ole Miss this Saturday, and a combination of players could see the field.
Lester Cotton has lined up at left guard when the first-team offense has been on the field in the first two games. Pierschbacher, after experimenting at center in the spring, was the opening day starter at right guard, while Bradley Bozeman took over the center position for first-round pick Ryan Kelly. Taylor sat out the first game because of a team-mandated suspension.
The one area Saban and company feel strongly about is the tackles, Cam Robinson and Jonah Williams.
“I think our two tackles have played very well,” he said. “I think Cam has played well. He was the player of the week actually in the first week, I think. And Jonah has played very well. I think that we really have to do a better job inside. That’s where the inexperience has been, guys are playing new positions, and ... it’s gonna be real important that we can do that in this game.”
We will see who lines up with the first-team offensive line during warmups in Oxford for the 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff.
LINK
Posted on 9/15/16 at 10:51 am to TideSaint
I'm hoping the line will go: Cam-Ross-Bradley-Shank-Jonah
For whatever reason, Ross struggles at RG and hasn't played well. Which is weird, because he was a very consistent player in 2015.
Cotton needs more time to grow.
For whatever reason, Ross struggles at RG and hasn't played well. Which is weird, because he was a very consistent player in 2015.
Cotton needs more time to grow.
Posted on 9/15/16 at 10:54 am to Gary Busey
I'd like to see what Ross could do at Center with Shank at RG. 
Posted on 9/15/16 at 11:13 am to TideSaint
quote:
We all know Alabama coach Nick Saban’s tenure with the Crimson Tide has been wildly successful, but this might blow your mind.
If Alabama can go to Ole Miss this week and beat the Rebels (something it hasn’t done the past two seasons), Saban will tie Bear Bryant with the most victories among SEC coaches against the top-25. Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden are the he only coaches in the college game with more such wins.
Some people might think it’s not such a big deal, but the reality is that Saban has earned those wins in roughly half the time as Bryant as a head coach. Paterno and Bowden also were head coaches for several decades longer than Saban has been at the college level and he figures to catch them at some point in the next five years, assuming he stays in the college game.
LINK
Posted on 9/15/16 at 12:11 pm to TideSaint
quote:
I'd like to see what Ross could do at Center with Shank at RG.
Same here.
What the hell happened to JC Hassenauer? Wasn't he a C out of HS?
Posted on 9/15/16 at 3:07 pm to Gary Busey
" “And we practiced Ross back at left guard, Shank at right guard,"
When you think about it, putting everybody back to last years positions only meant finding a center.
because Jonah Williams is a serious up grade at Right tackle.
Shank back at RG is the logical thing to do and
I feel cotton will only get better at LG.
Yet it may just be a case of letting Ross go back to were he just comfortable at which is LG.
Flipping he and cotton should/could also be possible.
But I think the coaches like the idea of having to two young guys next to experience vets.
As it relates to line calls.When you start conference play on the road.
When you think about it, putting everybody back to last years positions only meant finding a center.
because Jonah Williams is a serious up grade at Right tackle.
Shank back at RG is the logical thing to do and
I feel cotton will only get better at LG.
Yet it may just be a case of letting Ross go back to were he just comfortable at which is LG.
Flipping he and cotton should/could also be possible.
But I think the coaches like the idea of having to two young guys next to experience vets.
As it relates to line calls.When you start conference play on the road.
Posted on 9/15/16 at 3:15 pm to AjA77
Smart post.
Posted on 9/16/16 at 9:40 am to TideSaint
quote:
Nick Saban and the Alabama players said the team had a much better week of practice when they spoke Wednesday evening, and the Crimson Tide head coach reiterated that point during his weekly radio show Thursday night.
Saban praised the performance of Alabama’s scout team, including its three, older quarterbacks who attempted to emulate the play of Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly, a week after the Tide’s sloppy home win over Western Kentucky.
“Our scout team did about as good a job as we ever have done,” Saban said. “When you have two older quarterbacks like David Cornwell, who’s been here for a long time, even Cooper Bateman -- and all the guys rotate down there -- Blake Barnett, because the kind of offense they have and the kind of athletic quarterback they have in Chad Kelly, and those guys’ leadership just helps everybody do a better job.
“I think it helped significantly this week that we had a pretty good. Now, we made a lot of errors on defense because of going fast, but I think hopefully we made those errors in practice and maybe we won’t make them in the game.”
Saban wasn’t alone in his compliment of the scout team. Cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick also spoke highly of his teammates’ effort and job of mimicking the Rebels -- a team Alabama will look to end its two-game winning streak.
“The scout team did a great job in practice,” Fitzpatrick said. “Coach Saban actually mentioned it today how well they were doing. They’re bringing in guys from both sidelines and moving real fast, they’re fresh. They’re running, and we’re going 8-9 plays in a row with hands on our hips, getting tired, but it’s going to get us right for the game.”
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Posted on 9/16/16 at 11:21 pm to TideSaint
Our scout team could beat some lower schools, LOL.
Posted on 9/19/16 at 8:42 am to TideSaint
quote:
The betting line has been released for No. 1-ranked Alabama’s Week 4 home game against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Crimson Tide is a considerable betting favorite over head coach Nick Saban’s alma mater.
No. 1 Alabama opened as a 43-point favorite over Kent State on Sunday afternoon, according to VegasInsider.com.
Kent State recorded a 1-2 record through three weeks and most recently defeated Monmouth by a score of 27-7 on Saturday. The Golden Flashes lost to North Carolina A&T State in Week 2 by a score of 39-36 (4 OT) and opened their season on the road at Penn State with a 33-13 loss. They finished 2015 with a 3-9 (2-6 MAC) record and wer 1-5 away from Kent, Ohio.
Saban will play his alma mater in front of a soldout Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd, Alabama announced. The Flashes and the Crimson Tide have met once before on the football field, with Alabama leading the all-time series 1-0.
Alabama-Kent State will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.
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