quote:
Alabama returned to the practice field Monday afternoon after a one-day hiatus for its first practice of Ole Miss preparation. The Crimson Tide players practiced outdoors and in shells on a mostly-sunny, 91-degree afternoon.

Here are several tidbits from the media viewing portion of Alabama’s Monday practice session in Tuscaloosa:

- Jalen Hurts led the quarterbacks through individual passing drills Monday. When the position group broke into two lines with receivers, he and Blake Barnett led them with David Cornwell and Cooper Batemanbehind them, respectively.

- The first-team offensive line was comprised of, from left to right, Cam Robinson, Lester Cotton, Bradley Bozeman, Ross Pierschbacher andJonah 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.

(What's the latest with the Tide? Make sure you know by signing up for our FREE Alabama newsletter!)

- Cam Sims (shoulder) participated in the one media viewing period and wore a sleeve on his left knee.

- Robert Foster stood off to the side with his helmet off during the one media viewing period Monday.

- Johnny Dwight was not spotted on the practice field. He wore street clothes in Saturday’s home opener.

“We don’t have any significant injuries,” head coach Nick Saban said earlier Monday afternoon. “Cam Sims should be back. Some guys will be in black jerseys today but I don't think it will be an issue or the game.”

- Richie Petitbon (knee) shed his black jersey and wore a white jersey for the first time since his spring injury.

- Rashaan Evans practice with the inside linebackers Monday. He has spent time inside and outside recently.

- Several scholarship players wore scout-team numbers that represented Ole Miss players. They were:

Xavian Marks -- A.J. Brown

Irvin Smith -- Evan Engram

Ben Davis -- DeMarquis Gates

Joshua McMillon -- Rommel Mageo

Jamey Mosley -- Marquis Haynes

Terrell Hall -- John Youngblood

Mekhi Brown -- Fadol Brown

Keaton Anderson -- Terry Caldwell

*** What’s next: Alabama will be back on the practice field Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.

LINK

This post was edited on 9/13/16 at 8:33 am

2 ...

Report Post

Posted by mrbroker

Sylacauga Alabama

Member since Jul 2011

16575 posts

Posted on 9/12/16 at 7:56 pm to TideSaint

i wonder what the temperature will be outside tomorrow regardless of whether we are indoors or outdoors.

they must have a template and at the end of the first sentence it is mandatory that they tell us the outside temp.

0 ...

Report Post

Posted by TideSaint

Hill Country

Member since Sep 2008

75883 posts

Posted on 9/14/16 at 8:50 am to TideSaint

quote:
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- One of the top concerns for No. 1 Alabama entering the season was its depth along the defensive line. After a 2015 season that featured one of the best front lines in all of college football, the Crimson Tide was tasked with replacing two starters and two contributors and replacing them with relatively inexperienced players and a trio of newcomers.

After two games, Alabama’s defense has been the strength of its team, and the defensive line has not taken a step backward in terms of its push up front. That’s because the Tide has found some quality depth in the form of Dakota Ball.

Ball, a fifth-year senior, started out as a defensive lineman when he joined the Alabama program but moved to tight end as a redshirt sophomore. The Lindale, Ga., native switched back to his original position this spring because of a lack of experienced depth along the defensive line, a move Tide head coach Nick Saban made that has proven to be a wise one.

“Dakota Ball has shown some progress,” Saban said earlier this fall. “This is the natural position that he played. We moved him to tight end a year ago because we had depth problems there. I think he can help us some.”

In Alabama’s first two games of 2016, Ball has been one of the first reserves off the bench to spell starting defensive ends Jonathan Allen and Dalvin Tomlinson. He has registered four tackles and teamed up with Allen to split a sack in the team’s 38-10 victory over Western Kentucky in the Tide’s home opener this past weekend, showing off the motor Allen vouched for.

“He’s a baller,” Allen said of Ball. “I think he can play really well. I think he’ll really help the defensive line out. I definitely feel like he has an incredible motor, and that’s what makes him one of our best defensive linemen.

“He’s a really good player, run and pass rush.”

A former three-star product of Pepperell (Ga.) High School, Ball may not be the player most expected to see make an impact from a depth standpoint this fall. There are other, larger players at his position that have more practice time along the defensive line than the 6-foot-3, 268-pound Ball. Plus, the Tide added a trio of talented newcomers to the roster this summer.

But Ball kept his motor running in practice, presenting Alabama’s offensive line with another obstacle on the practice field. And because of that, the redshirt senior has seen more and more playing time this fall.

“Dakota is a very physical athlete,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “Just like the rest of our D-Line and everywhere else on our team, they are trying to get a starting spot and compete to the best of their ability.”

LINK

Really proud of Dakota Ball. He could have transferred out like others in the past, but he worked his arse off and now he's getting recognized for it.