re: Bama Football Tidings

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Tim Dickerson noticed a familiar aggressiveness from his son this past Saturday.

A graduate transfer from Florida State University, Landon Dickerson appeared in his first game for Alabama and started at right guard. The redshirt junior played pretty well in his Crimson Tide debut, but it was the way that he played that stood out during the season opener against Duke.

“I thought he played with a lot of toughness, had a lot of effort out there, did a good job for the most part,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said earlier this week, “one of the guys that we feel competed in the game like we like. And I’m sure that he would tell you and his coach would tell you that, are there things he could have done better fundamentally? Absolutely.

“But we certainly liked the competitive character that he played with.”

Dickerson graded out at 76.4 in pass protection and 62.4 as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus, which was good for second-best among the Tide’s starting offensive linemen, trailing only Alex Leatherwood (85.7) and Jedrick Wills (80.9), respectively, in each category.

But that’s not why Alabama’s newest addition generated discussion after the 42-3 win.

It was because of his two trips to the sideline for losing his helmet. The first instance occurred in the second quarter following a quick pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. NCAA rules required Dickerson to be replaced for one play, in this case by Emil Ekiyor.
The second helmet removal took place at the 10:41 mark of the third quarter. While running back Najee Harris bounced outside toward the Duke sideline, but away from the play, Dickerson and sixth-year senior defensive tackle Edgar Cerenord had the officials’ attention. Cameras only caught Dickerson playfully pointing to the opposing locker room after picking himself up off the turf.

Color analyst Brian Griese deduced Cerenord threw a punch, which led to his ejection.

“A couple of them, from what I saw,” Wills told reporters Monday.

So, what exactly happened that led the Blue Devils captain to swing at the Tide lineman?

“I think he just dumped him, and the guy was tired of it,” Wills said. “He was just doing his job.”

Although Duke head coach David Cutcliffe thought Dickerson was “a little extra-curricular” and deserved a flag, he agreed with Wills on what transpired on the field before the entanglement.
“I’m disappointed, to use an understatement,” said Cutcliffe during a Tuesday press conference, according to The Charlotte Observer. “(Cerenord) and I met Sunday, and I think the word is frustration on his part, to be honest with you. He was out-competed on the play purely.”

By all accounts, there was no malicious intent on Dickerson’s part to open the 2019 season. It is simply the way the former 5-star recruit has always played the game, said his father, who recognized the aggressive approach his son brought to the field in his first game in crimson.

“He’s a little bit old school,” Tim Dickerson told BamaOnLine. “Your coach taught you you go until a whistle, and if you don’t hear a whistle, you keep going. So, if he’s on a block or he’s driving, he’s going until he hears a whistle. Now, he’s stretched it a few times, especially away from the play. But I think he just gets wrapped up -- he’s very competitive and he gets wrapped up.

“And if he knows he’s gotten in somebody’s head a little bit then he will absolutely take advantage of that, and I think that’s what happened between him and Edgar on Saturday. He just wore him and wore him, and after a while, everybody gets frustrated. I don’t really care who you are, it happens.”

SEC Network analyst and former Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic described it as “some nasty.”

“He brings a little something different to that group and to that room,” Cubelic told BamaOnLine. “He plays with some attitude, some nasty. He’s got a mean streak, obviously, and you appreciate that as an offensive lineman. You like to see the game played that way, especially when you’re going to have younger guys on your group. You want to have a guy that sets the tone and allows them to know this is the way it’s supposed to be done.”

Dickerson’s aggressive nature has always been part of his makeup. His father recalls a game in his prep career at South Caldwell (N.C.) High School where a defensive lineman continuously took shots at Dickerson’s knees and his son body-slammed the defender, drawing a flag.

His time at Florida State was hampered by injuries, but that “nasty” nature was still noticeable.
“I think when you look at what that can do and what that can sort of help you be, it’s definitely beneficial,” Cubelic said. “But I’ll say this, there’s a mature nasty and there’s an immature nasty. Like if you look at Logan Stenberg at Kentucky, there’s not a lot of the B.S. that comes with his nasty. Like Quenton Nelson at Notre Dame, it was nasty but there wasn’t a lot of extra, immature stuff with it. You’ve got to be really careful riding that fence of, ‘Hey, we’re going to play with this attitude. We’re going to play with this demeanor. We’re going to act this way.’

“But if you’re not careful, it can hurt your team at the same time.”
The 6-foot-6, 308-pound lineman is skilled in martial arts, earning a black belt at 10 years old and serving as an assistant instructor during high school. Dickerson is also an Eagle Scout. And he plays football through the whistle, though he has matured over the course of his career.

“I would say earlier on, he could be nasty or whatever you want to call it,” Tim Dickerson said. “I think now he still plays very aggressive, but I think he has more of a mature mindset that he knows when to call it quits. But he will absolutely push it to the limit. I don’t think there’s a thing wrong with that, but sometimes the result is you get too aggressive or your opponent gets a little ticked off and those things happen. But hey, that’s a part of the game.”

Dickerson is set to start his second straight game when Alabama hosts New Mexico State in its home opener Saturday, Sept. 7. If we see him lose his helmet or frustrate a player into a penalty remains to be seen, but his new teammates are OK with him causing “more problems for the other guys.”

“He’s a good player,” Wills said. “He’s got a lot of energy. That’s a plus for us for him to get in their heads.

“He’s a special guy, I’ll put it that way.”

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