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re: Spring Practice News/Discussion Thread
Posted on 4/4/17 at 10:01 am to tider04
Posted on 4/4/17 at 10:01 am to tider04
Practices being so spread out might have something to do with it.
I saw where Fitzpatrick and Tony Brown were the 1st two coners at yesterday's practice. AA was in the 2nd group.
I like Brown at star, but Shyheim Carter might be too talented to keep off the field at the star position.
This secondary is one of the most talented Saban has had.
I saw where Fitzpatrick and Tony Brown were the 1st two coners at yesterday's practice. AA was in the 2nd group.
I like Brown at star, but Shyheim Carter might be too talented to keep off the field at the star position.
This secondary is one of the most talented Saban has had.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 10:22 am to remaster916
That's surprising. AA was our best corner last year
Posted on 4/4/17 at 10:28 am to remaster916
quote:
I saw where Fitzpatrick and Tony Brown were the 1st two coners at yesterday's practice. AA was in the 2nd group.
I like Brown at star, but Shyheim Carter might be too talented to keep off the field at the star position.
This secondary is one of the most talented Saban has had.
I saw that too. I'm assuming they're just trying to get Brown some reps at CB. The reality is we play in Nickel about 80% of the time now--so all 3 of them will be on the field together the vast majority of the time. I actually like Brown at the star--he's fast and physical and can almost be like a hybrid LB coming on a blitz or killing people across the middle.
I think our starting 5 in the secondary will be elite--the key will be developing some depth because injuries in the secondary seem to be pretty common and it would also be nice to spell the starters so they aren't flat worn out like they were at the end of the Clemson game. Getting guys like Mayden, Robinson, Knott, Thompson, etc up to par is going to be huge.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:08 pm to tider04
quote:
It's amazing how little discussion is taking place regarding spring practice here or on any Bama message boards, really.
The championship game loss took a lot of wind out of our sails.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:48 pm to TomRollTideRitter
I wouldn't put anything into it. AA is our best corner.
I also think Tony Brown will end up at safety. He struggles too much with his hip movement at corner. He will be a superstar at safety though.
I also think Tony Brown will end up at safety. He struggles too much with his hip movement at corner. He will be a superstar at safety though.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 2:31 pm to YStar
Any mention of Shavers at practice? I saw where he ran a 4.38 at an opening when he was a recruit. I didn't see his time mentioned in any of the other threads earlier in the spring.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 9:15 pm to Gustave
Shavers should be a good player for us down the road but I think most people see him as a player who needs a year or two to develop. I mean he has Ridley, Foster, Judy, Cam Sims and others ahead of him with Ruggs and Smith coming in. And Diggs may even switch back over. Our WR group is super deep and talented so guys like Shavers are going to have to grind and wait their turn unless they come in with Julio/Coop/Ridley type talent.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 11:23 pm to tider04
Good quick article on the tight end group TideSports
Posted on 4/5/17 at 1:52 pm to tider04
Shavers has what you can't coach, massive size, speed, wingspan. We have some other big guys who haven't really contributed, but they have all been on the slower side. A guy like shavers can straight run past and go over pretty much any corner. Now if he just has decent hands...
Posted on 4/5/17 at 1:56 pm to narddogg81
He definitely looks the part
Posted on 4/5/17 at 3:26 pm to Funky Tide 8
Posted on 4/5/17 at 3:29 pm to TomRollTideRitter
quote:
“I remember when he first got here, he was a freshman, his first couple of practices I picked him off a couple of times,” Harrison said. “Now it’s kind of like I can tell he’s reading me. He’s learning defenses and learning how to read better.
“One play in practice…it was a safety read and he was reading me to see if I was coming down in coverage or if I was going to stay high. I kind of tried to hold it but I couldn’t and came down and he faked the ball and then he threw it to the receiver right over my head. I was like, ‘Dang, he’s really coming along.’”
Ronnie Harrison
Posted on 4/5/17 at 4:10 pm to TomRollTideRitter
quote:
“One play in practice…it was a safety read and he was reading me to see if I was coming down in coverage or if I was going to stay high. I kind of tried to hold it but I couldn’t and came down and he faked the ball and then he threw it to the receiver right over my head. I was like, ‘Dang, he’s really coming along.’”
Posted on 4/5/17 at 5:26 pm to pmacattack
if it lasts longer than 4 hours................
Posted on 4/6/17 at 3:48 pm to TomRollTideRitter
Will be going to FSU's spring game Saturday (I go every year since I'm alumni).
This will probably be the most I've ever paid attention to it though. Would consider making a thread updating with my thoughts of what I see from the day if there is enough interest.
This will probably be the most I've ever paid attention to it though. Would consider making a thread updating with my thoughts of what I see from the day if there is enough interest.
Posted on 4/6/17 at 4:43 pm to nb200016
quote:
Would consider making a thread updating with my thoughts of what I see from the day if there is enough interest.
Posted on 4/7/17 at 11:00 pm to Funky Tide 8
Why one 'O.J.-like' Alabama TE could be next big thing | AL.com
quote:
Miller Forristall could easily pass for a future banking executive. He's got the name and the neatly-combed blond hair to boot. It would be easy to picture him in a board room.
But then this week, Alabama coach Nick Saban called him "O.J.-like," referring to O.J. Howard, the former Tide tight end projected to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft later this month.
A totally new impression of him was formulated at that moment. All of a sudden, it was easy to see Forristall beating a linebacker over the middle to snag a pass or sealing a defender and giving one of Alabama's talented running backs a path around the edge.
"You play tight end knowing you got to get your hands dirty," he said.
With Howard gone, Forristall has the opportunity to bring these imagined scenarios to life as he cultivates a new image of himself as a lunchpail grinder. This offseason, Forristall has packed on 13 pounds to his 6-foot-5 frame so he is better equipped to play the "Y" -- the more traditional in-line blocking role associated with his position.
"Miller is making progress in that area," Saban said. "He's gotten bigger and stronger."
Before making that observation, Saban noted that Forristall "played a lot last year." Indeed he did. The sophomore appeared in all 15 games as a freshman and even started two of them -- showing flashes along the way.
Remember the only touchdown drive from Alabama's 10-0 victory over LSU last November? Forristall helped set it in motion with a 22-yard reception that carried the Crimson Tide out of the shadow of its own end zone.
It was one of five catches he made in 2016, when the tight ends were confined to the margins of Alabama's passing game. That could conceivably change under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who as an assistant with the New England Patriots oversaw the players at the position Forristall plays.
Earlier this decade, New England helped put a modern spin on 12 personnel, using two tight ends as pass-catching weapons to shred opponents. The Patriots also would attack teams with Y-Iso, a formation with three wideouts stacked on one side and the tight end positioned -- usually flexed out -- on the other. This package is part of 11 personnel, which Alabama ran 64 percent of the time in 2016.
"Obviously when [Daboll] was with the Patriots, [tight ends] had a lot of opportunities there, and I'm hoping we can get some opportunities here," Forristall said. "Hopefully we can get a little carryover."
Forristall stands to be the primary beneficiary. After all, his greatest potential exists as a receiver. A former high school quarterback, Forristall understood the value of running precise patterns and had a firm understanding of how to find soft zones in the defense. It helped him make the quick transition to the college game and get on the field at the outset of his career. So did Forristall's occasional repetitions with the wideouts during practice that were interspersed with the 196 snaps he played throughout 2016.
"Miller has really done a phenomenal job, whether it's catching passes or blocking," said rising junior tight end Hale Hentges. "He often teaches me things that I didn't know about running routes. He's a phenomenal route runner. He's done a lot better. He's worked extremely hard. He's stayed in the playbook. He's done a really good job. I think you're going to see that his development has grown even more than freshman year. So, he's going to be very good for us."
That's the expectation.
But will Forristall be O.J.-like? That is the question.
"I'm not quite O.J., and I know that," he said. "I don't want to be. I just want to do my job, be Miller Forristall."
In a new offense, where he's got a bankable skill-set, that just might be good enough.
This post was edited on 4/7/17 at 11:03 pm
Posted on 4/8/17 at 7:41 am to TidalSurge1
Anyone know what Forristall's speed is?
Posted on 4/8/17 at 1:07 pm to Funky Tide 8
Going to take notes and l'll put it all together into one thread when it's over
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