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FPRC's 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview
Posted on 8/18/14 at 2:50 pm
Posted on 8/18/14 at 2:50 pm
The Football Power Rankings Committee presents to tRant:
2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview
2013 Season Recap 11-2 (7-1)
Started 11-0, fell to Auburn and Oklahoma in the final two games of the season. Team was led by Maxwell Award Winner AJ McCarron and Butkus Award Winner CJ Mosley. The season started in disappointing fashion, as the offense looked mostly inept vs a tough Virginia Tech defense. The next time the team took the field, the offense looked like a thing of beauty, but the defense looked helpless. At this point we knew the team wasn't complete. Around midseason, the team looked complete. But coming off of a weak stretch, there was still something to prove. The performance against LSU silenced critics, beating a tough LSU team by 21 points. From the second that game ended, the team wasn't the same. The next time out, it was right back to the disappointing performances. Consistency was a problem.
2014 Offense Preview
The following players return:
RB: TJ Yeldon (1235 yards, 5.97 YPC, 14 TDs)
RB: Kenyan Drake* (694 yards, 7.54 YPC, 8 TDs)
WR: Amari Cooper (45 catches, 736 yards, 4 TDs)
WR: DeAndrew White (32 catches, 534 yards, 4 TDs)
WR: Christion Jones (36 catches, 349 yards, 2 TDs)
TE: OJ Howard (14 catches, 269 yards, 2 TDs)
LG: Arie Kouandjio (Job security isn't strong)
C: Ryan Kelly (Job security is fairly strong)
RT: Austin Shepherd (Job security isn't strong)
RG: Leon Brown started the Sugar Bowl, but has limited experience.
RB Derrick Henry tore up the Sugar Bowl in a losing effort, rushing for 100 yards on only 8 carries, and scoring a TD. He also took his lone catch of the game (and season) 61 yards for a TD.
WR Chris Black has long been considered a dynamic threat out of the slot, but has never shown it during a season.
LT Cameron Robinson is a freshman who enrolled early. He looks to be the starter on the blind side, and has tremendous upside.
RB and WR/TE is definitely a strength of the offense, but the problem is the OL has a lot of question marks, and we're breaking in a new QB. We return 3 starters from last year's OL, though two of them aren't even guaranteed to start. Jacob Coker is expected to start at QB, but has rarely seen the field, and his play wasn't very impressive at FSU. He obviously has talent, but seems to have accuracy problems.
The scheme likely doesn't change very much, even with the addition of Lane Kiffin as the new OC. We expect to use Jalston Fowler more as a Fullback, and our TEs (OJ Howard specifically) should receive more looks in the passing game. One problem we had last year with our passing game was that we didn't exploit mismatches or run plays specifically designed to get one man open. Kiffin has a track record of calling plays for his stars, so look for a lot of Amari Cooper playcalls.
Even if he doesn't start, Blake Sims is expected to get at least a few snaps a game out of a wildcat type package. Possible starter Jacob Coker can also run, so the occasional QB run isn't out of the quesiton, but ultimately isn't likely.
Based on talent and strength of competition, the rushing attack should be improved, but replacing a three year starter and Heisman runner up at QB is never easy. The passing game will likely fall off, and ultimately I think we see more INTs than the past few years.
2014 Defense Preview
NG: Brandon Ivory
DE: A'Shawn Robinson (led the team in sacks)
DE: Jon Allen (had a big Spring, former 5 star)
ILB: Trey DePriest (started the past two years)
OLB: Denzel Devall
OLB: Xzavier Dickson
CB: Cyrus Jones/Bradley Sylve/Eddie Jackson
S: Landon Collins
Robinson led the team in sacks as a Freshman backup, and will move into a starting role this season. He was a five star coming out, and is expected to be a force up front. Jon Allen is also expected to make noise up front, as we expect to have one of our most athletic front 7s in a while.
I'd say watch out for the entire front 7. Robinson, Allen, Pettway, and Hand will all play a lot, and can all make noise rushing a QB. I don't think any single one of them will put up big numbers, but as a unit Alabama may generate more pressure than we've seen in recent years.
A big weakness is definitely the secondary. Landon Collins is an exceptional athlete, and the early returns on likely starter Tony Brown are promising, but experience is lacking on the back end. Geno Smith is new to the Safety position, Cyrus Jones hasn't shown much promise, and Eddie Jackson may not even play until midseason, when he may not even be 100%. Also the Nose Guard position isn't looking very good. Brandon Ivory played decent in his role behind Jesse Williams in 2012, but was extremely average in 2013.
The front 7 is the key, specifically in sub packages when a young guy like Rashaan Evans could get on the field. We brought back Bo Davis, who is probably a better technique coach than we had. The scheme will mostly remain the same, though expect a different attitude against athletic QBs. The mush rush may be a thing of the past in T-Town.
2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview
2013 Season Recap 11-2 (7-1)
Started 11-0, fell to Auburn and Oklahoma in the final two games of the season. Team was led by Maxwell Award Winner AJ McCarron and Butkus Award Winner CJ Mosley. The season started in disappointing fashion, as the offense looked mostly inept vs a tough Virginia Tech defense. The next time the team took the field, the offense looked like a thing of beauty, but the defense looked helpless. At this point we knew the team wasn't complete. Around midseason, the team looked complete. But coming off of a weak stretch, there was still something to prove. The performance against LSU silenced critics, beating a tough LSU team by 21 points. From the second that game ended, the team wasn't the same. The next time out, it was right back to the disappointing performances. Consistency was a problem.
2014 Offense Preview
The following players return:
RB: TJ Yeldon (1235 yards, 5.97 YPC, 14 TDs)
RB: Kenyan Drake* (694 yards, 7.54 YPC, 8 TDs)
WR: Amari Cooper (45 catches, 736 yards, 4 TDs)
WR: DeAndrew White (32 catches, 534 yards, 4 TDs)
WR: Christion Jones (36 catches, 349 yards, 2 TDs)
TE: OJ Howard (14 catches, 269 yards, 2 TDs)
LG: Arie Kouandjio (Job security isn't strong)
C: Ryan Kelly (Job security is fairly strong)
RT: Austin Shepherd (Job security isn't strong)
RG: Leon Brown started the Sugar Bowl, but has limited experience.
RB Derrick Henry tore up the Sugar Bowl in a losing effort, rushing for 100 yards on only 8 carries, and scoring a TD. He also took his lone catch of the game (and season) 61 yards for a TD.
WR Chris Black has long been considered a dynamic threat out of the slot, but has never shown it during a season.
LT Cameron Robinson is a freshman who enrolled early. He looks to be the starter on the blind side, and has tremendous upside.
RB and WR/TE is definitely a strength of the offense, but the problem is the OL has a lot of question marks, and we're breaking in a new QB. We return 3 starters from last year's OL, though two of them aren't even guaranteed to start. Jacob Coker is expected to start at QB, but has rarely seen the field, and his play wasn't very impressive at FSU. He obviously has talent, but seems to have accuracy problems.
The scheme likely doesn't change very much, even with the addition of Lane Kiffin as the new OC. We expect to use Jalston Fowler more as a Fullback, and our TEs (OJ Howard specifically) should receive more looks in the passing game. One problem we had last year with our passing game was that we didn't exploit mismatches or run plays specifically designed to get one man open. Kiffin has a track record of calling plays for his stars, so look for a lot of Amari Cooper playcalls.
Even if he doesn't start, Blake Sims is expected to get at least a few snaps a game out of a wildcat type package. Possible starter Jacob Coker can also run, so the occasional QB run isn't out of the quesiton, but ultimately isn't likely.
Based on talent and strength of competition, the rushing attack should be improved, but replacing a three year starter and Heisman runner up at QB is never easy. The passing game will likely fall off, and ultimately I think we see more INTs than the past few years.
2014 Defense Preview
NG: Brandon Ivory
DE: A'Shawn Robinson (led the team in sacks)
DE: Jon Allen (had a big Spring, former 5 star)
ILB: Trey DePriest (started the past two years)
OLB: Denzel Devall
OLB: Xzavier Dickson
CB: Cyrus Jones/Bradley Sylve/Eddie Jackson
S: Landon Collins
Robinson led the team in sacks as a Freshman backup, and will move into a starting role this season. He was a five star coming out, and is expected to be a force up front. Jon Allen is also expected to make noise up front, as we expect to have one of our most athletic front 7s in a while.
I'd say watch out for the entire front 7. Robinson, Allen, Pettway, and Hand will all play a lot, and can all make noise rushing a QB. I don't think any single one of them will put up big numbers, but as a unit Alabama may generate more pressure than we've seen in recent years.
A big weakness is definitely the secondary. Landon Collins is an exceptional athlete, and the early returns on likely starter Tony Brown are promising, but experience is lacking on the back end. Geno Smith is new to the Safety position, Cyrus Jones hasn't shown much promise, and Eddie Jackson may not even play until midseason, when he may not even be 100%. Also the Nose Guard position isn't looking very good. Brandon Ivory played decent in his role behind Jesse Williams in 2012, but was extremely average in 2013.
The front 7 is the key, specifically in sub packages when a young guy like Rashaan Evans could get on the field. We brought back Bo Davis, who is probably a better technique coach than we had. The scheme will mostly remain the same, though expect a different attitude against athletic QBs. The mush rush may be a thing of the past in T-Town.
10
Posted on 8/18/14 at 2:51 pm to The Nino
2014 Special Teams Preview
Christian Jones is one of the best return men in CFB, but we'll be starting a Freshman punter and our kicker is inaccurate. Our coverage units were good for the first 11 games last year, but it's tough to project where they'll be this year. Young studs like Rashaan Evans and Hootie Jones will definitely make names for themselves out there. The kicking game probably won't get better, and the punting will, in all likelihood, take a step back.
Analysis of coaching
I've already talked about some of the changes we made. Of course retaining HC Nick Saban is the key, and we also kept DC Kirby Smart, who is arguably a top three DC in the nation. Lane Kiffin as an OC is a high risk, high reward move. I wouldn't call any of our coaches weak, except maybe Coach Mario Cristobal, who coaches the OL. He's an exceptional recruiter, make no mistake about it. But we have questions about his ability to actually coach the OL, though we're still waiting for a bigger body of work.
2014 Schedule
Aug 30 vs West Virginia*
Sept 6 vs Florida Atlantic
Sept 13 vs Southern Miss
Sept 20 vs Florida
Oct 4 @ Ole Miss
Oct 11 @ Arkansas
Oct 18 vs Texas A&M
Oct 25 @ Tennessee
Nov 8 @ LSU
Nov 15 vs Mississippi State
Nov 22 vs Western Carolina
Nov 29 vs Auburn
The schedule isn't very tough, but there are definitely tough teams.
Florida (make no mistake, they'll be back), Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn will all be very losable games. That doesn't include the opener vs West Virginia, a game vs Texas A&M, or a the TSIO against Tennessee, which could be trap games. Our bye weeks set up nicely, and overall our OOC schedule is weak.
Off-season Report
Guys like Christion Jones and Landon Collins are stepping up, but we've had a lot of off the feld distractions. Kenyan Drake, Altee Tenpenny, Jarran Reed, and Tony Brown have all found themselvesin legal trouble. Eddie Jackson, who was expected to start at CB, got injured in the Spring, and may not be ready to go for a while.
Keys to Success / Failure
- Development of leadership
- Maturation process of Jacob Coker
- Improved offensive playcalling
- Better results vs HUNH
Wrap-up
Realistically, I expect another 11-2 season. Worst case scenario, I think it's a 9-4 team. Best case, 15-0 and a national title. The 9-4 outcome is a lot more likely than the 15-0 outcome.
Christian Jones is one of the best return men in CFB, but we'll be starting a Freshman punter and our kicker is inaccurate. Our coverage units were good for the first 11 games last year, but it's tough to project where they'll be this year. Young studs like Rashaan Evans and Hootie Jones will definitely make names for themselves out there. The kicking game probably won't get better, and the punting will, in all likelihood, take a step back.
Analysis of coaching
I've already talked about some of the changes we made. Of course retaining HC Nick Saban is the key, and we also kept DC Kirby Smart, who is arguably a top three DC in the nation. Lane Kiffin as an OC is a high risk, high reward move. I wouldn't call any of our coaches weak, except maybe Coach Mario Cristobal, who coaches the OL. He's an exceptional recruiter, make no mistake about it. But we have questions about his ability to actually coach the OL, though we're still waiting for a bigger body of work.
2014 Schedule
Aug 30 vs West Virginia*
Sept 6 vs Florida Atlantic
Sept 13 vs Southern Miss
Sept 20 vs Florida
Oct 4 @ Ole Miss
Oct 11 @ Arkansas
Oct 18 vs Texas A&M
Oct 25 @ Tennessee
Nov 8 @ LSU
Nov 15 vs Mississippi State
Nov 22 vs Western Carolina
Nov 29 vs Auburn
The schedule isn't very tough, but there are definitely tough teams.
Florida (make no mistake, they'll be back), Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn will all be very losable games. That doesn't include the opener vs West Virginia, a game vs Texas A&M, or a the TSIO against Tennessee, which could be trap games. Our bye weeks set up nicely, and overall our OOC schedule is weak.
Off-season Report
Guys like Christion Jones and Landon Collins are stepping up, but we've had a lot of off the feld distractions. Kenyan Drake, Altee Tenpenny, Jarran Reed, and Tony Brown have all found themselvesin legal trouble. Eddie Jackson, who was expected to start at CB, got injured in the Spring, and may not be ready to go for a while.
Keys to Success / Failure
- Development of leadership
- Maturation process of Jacob Coker
- Improved offensive playcalling
- Better results vs HUNH
Wrap-up
Realistically, I expect another 11-2 season. Worst case scenario, I think it's a 9-4 team. Best case, 15-0 and a national title. The 9-4 outcome is a lot more likely than the 15-0 outcome.
Posted on 8/18/14 at 3:02 pm to The Nino
quote:
FPRC's 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview
Of course an AU fan posted this.
Just kidding Nino.
Posted on 8/18/14 at 3:02 pm to The Nino
Nice writeup. A lot of people are giving Bama flak b/c well they are Bama and are among the top teams. If your QB develops quickly like I'm hoping ours will do, it could very well be a special year.
I don't see you losing three games at all, but best of luck this season
I don't see you losing three games at all, but best of luck this season
Posted on 8/18/14 at 3:06 pm to The Nino
ship or bust.
Posted on 8/19/14 at 6:34 am to The Nino
From reading the practice reports, it actually seems like unless Coker shows significant improvement, Blake will be the starter. Also disagree with your assessment of Cyrus Jones.
Posted on 8/19/14 at 9:25 am to The Nino
quote:
LG: Arie Kouandjio (Job security isn't strong)
C: Ryan Kelly (Job security is fairly strong)
RT: Austin Shepherd (Job security isn't strong)
RG: Leon Brown started the Sugar Bowl, but has limited experience.
thas not good.
OL usually is the sure ting at Bama when there are questions elsewhere.
Posted on 8/19/14 at 9:27 am to The Nino
Looks about right to me.
Posted on 8/19/14 at 4:19 pm to The Nino
Pretty even-handed and fair write-up IMO.
I would even say a tad pessimistic. With bama's schedule, losing 4 games is EXTREMELY unlikely.
I would even say a tad pessimistic. With bama's schedule, losing 4 games is EXTREMELY unlikely.
Posted on 8/20/14 at 9:11 am to The Nino
quote:
LG: Arie Kouandjio (Job security isn't strong)
C: Ryan Kelly (Job security is fairly strong)
RT: Austin Shepherd (Job security isn't strong)
RG: Leon Brown started the Sugar Bowl, but has limited experience.
Some of these couldn't be further from the truth. Arie K and Sheppard are pretty well entrenched. Shank will start at RG.
Posted on 8/22/14 at 1:50 am to The Nino
A'Shawn may be playing NT, so our DL would be a combo of either
Pettway Robinson Allen or Tomlinson Robinson Allen depending on what down it is.
Geno, Jarrick, and Landon could be the best all round group of safeties by mid season
I expect Jackson and Brown to start at CB with Cyrus Jones and Marlon Humphrey on their hip
Our starting LBs are Devall Depriest Ragland/Foster Lee
Robert Foster will be the breakout star
I expect an OL shakeup involving Grant Hill and Dom Jackson if Kouandjio and Shep aren't impressive in the first few games.
Special Teams will be much better this year. Chris Jones is one of the best returners in the nation, our new punter JK Scott is an upgrade. Griffith is an upgrade.
Pettway Robinson Allen or Tomlinson Robinson Allen depending on what down it is.
Geno, Jarrick, and Landon could be the best all round group of safeties by mid season
I expect Jackson and Brown to start at CB with Cyrus Jones and Marlon Humphrey on their hip
Our starting LBs are Devall Depriest Ragland/Foster Lee
Robert Foster will be the breakout star
I expect an OL shakeup involving Grant Hill and Dom Jackson if Kouandjio and Shep aren't impressive in the first few games.
Special Teams will be much better this year. Chris Jones is one of the best returners in the nation, our new punter JK Scott is an upgrade. Griffith is an upgrade.
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