🏈 A-Day In Review.

[TerryP]

Complaints? Comments? Criticisms?

 

[Tidestalker]

Take Aways (AKA Amateur opinions from a fan not watching that closely):

-Tua has a very, very bright future. Obviously some work to do. I'm interested to see how he does with live bullets... Because while he's not as fast as Jalen, he has above avg athleticism. Either way he's a good backup option and will only get better.

-Jalen threw some beautiful long balls. Love to see him making those connections because he missed so many last year. His instinct is still to run out of the pocket when option #1 is covered, and usually straight to his right. At times it looked like a re run of last season but the deep balls are enough to have me excited about his growth. He's only 18... Big off season for him.

-WR's are no longer a concern. The questions past Ridley have been answered for me. Foster looks like a big time #2 and Jeudy will be on his heals. Sims has always been a competent option and Simmons has gotten bigger/faster/stronger. Although his drops were an issue. The top 4 is really all that matters and I see no issues with that group.

-Secondary has a lot of questions to be answered. Will Diggs have a temultious first year like Cyrus did, or can he find some success early on. Had a buddy at the game that said he was out of position a ton, or burned, even when not in the play. To be expected for a kid in his situation, but he will be a target for QB's if not improved. I only saw 1 guy on the 2's that stood out and I believe he's been completely overlooked - Levi Wallace. He's got great length for a corner and legit game experience. Former walk on that earned a backup role last season, and deservedly so. He seems to be in great position and confident playing the ball. Robinson had some bad luck but was not impressive. McDonald made a sweet break on a Mac Jones pass for the INT, but he looks so small. Lots of competition with the young DB's, whoever steps up will be a good one. Also, Tony Brown looks awesome as a blitzer and could be a fun play maker a-la Javy Arenas.

-DL - No one really stood out which was surprising. I wasn't exactly focusing on them though, so maybe underselling a few guys. I expected hand and Buggs to stand out but never noticed them.

-OLBs - Options, Options, Options. Hall, Miller, Jennings, and I will add Jamie Mosley. The cool thing is they're all different types of players with strengths. Hall can be a great all around guy, Miller is super explosive and addding strength, Jennings is a beast, and Mosley is super fast around the corner. Fun group to watch

-TE's - Irv Smith flashed a few times! He's bigger than I expected and could be an all around stud. Too bad Harrison cheap shotted Forristall, seems like they were trying to get him the ball today.

-OL - So hard to gauge under the circumstances... Offenses were not attempting The 2's looked pretty sloppy in the second half. Didn't notice Womack as a weak spot which is good. I did see Lashley get blown by once or twice. Deionte Brown is just massively wide... Can't see him being athletic enough right now to make it through a game. Also, whoever was snapping for the first team in the second half was atrocious! Was that Owens? Anyone have any more insight on these guys... Anyone impress that I missed?

-RB's - As noted, never a real attempt to establish the ground game. Harris got the most carries and he did fine for a fresh against a big time D. Was hoping to see him get into space a little more but the D wasn't having it. He also made some catches that I was impressed with. Jacobs still flashes and I really believe he will be as good as anyone on the roster. Robinson had a few chances and did some decent things, but against the first team D that's uphill sledding.

All in all I'm pumped to see our QB/Receiver deep ball rapport so much improved. That was the biggest thing we needed to see, so that was great. The D was great or terrible but was clearly impacted by the "strategy" that was allowed in a given series. Most importantly though, no one got injured. And you have to be excited about what Tua brings to the table... Great arm, intelligent, high character... Exciting stuff. RTR

 

[OldPlayer]

I know not to make a judgement based on the Spring game but I saw more good than bad. Both Jalen and Tua threw the ball well. RBs showed good effort. We've heard the DBs were abused during scrimmages and today wasn't any different. But, they were playing vanilla defense and weren't pressuring the QB like they would in a game. My biggest concern is we need a kicker.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

I didn't get to watch all of it because I'm repairing a busted water main, but what I did see of Tua, he looked pretty solid against the 2s, as did Jeudy.

His Stat line would suggest he had a slightly better day than Jalen. But before anyone crowns him as the heir apparent to unseat Jalen, let me throw this Stat at you.

When Saban brought him in against the ones, in two series; two 3-and-outs.

Which tells me as much about our DEFENSE as it does about Tua.

Our 1st team D is pretty solid. Quinnen Williams stayed in Jalen's face for most of the day with vanilla D play-calling. Kid is gonna be a stud. But our 2nd team D, specifically the DBs... holy shit. Needs a lot of work. Which is why you saw Tua light them up, but really struggled against the 1s. He's not ready. Great future and a lot of potential, but he's never going to overtake Jalen. Especially since Jalen has gotten so much better at the long ball in 1 spring off-season.

With a full summer off-season of 7-on7s and copious amounts of film study with Daboll, Jalen's progression from the Clemson game to the season opener will be eye-popping.


ETA: The one pick Jalen threw was all on Forrestall. Had he turned his head and been ready for that ball, it would've been a TD. Nice throw by Jalen. Put it up higher and out of reach for the defender covering the nuch larger Forrestall. But by the time Miller saw the ball, it was thru his hands and into the bread basket of Diggs.

 

[18Champs]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama wrapped up its spring camp with its annual A-Day game Saturday, as the Crimson team defeated the White team 27-24 on a game-winning 30-yard field goal from punter JK Scott.

Early enrollee receiver Jerry Jeudy earned the game's MVP Award, reeling in five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

As an honorary coach for the White team, I was able to see the game from the sideline. Here are some notes on what I saw and heard from the scrimmage:

WHAT WE SAW
Jerry Jeudy demonstrates his five-star talent on the field
Jeudy accounted for the White team's first two touchdowns. The early enrollee won a jump ball over Crimson team defensive back Aaron Robinson for a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter before taking advantage of a fortunate bounce on a deflection for a 29-yard score in the second quarter.

"He's improved well and he had a good day today," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "We obviously need some young guys to come through for us at receiver. It's not a position that we have a lot of depth. Calvin Ridley is a special player at the position, Robert Foster had a really good spring, but we need some players like Jerry Jeudy to continue to grow and develop."

Hurts and Tagovailoa had more than 300 yards passing
Alabama starter Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa both had big days, passing for more than 300 yards with multiple touchdowns. Hurts finished the afternoon completing 16 of 25 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Tagovailoa was 17 of 29 for 313 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

However, one negative on the day was that the quarterbacks totaled 12 sacks on the day. Hurts was sacked seven times, while Tagovailoa was sacked four times and Mac Jones was sacked once. That's something Saban said needed improvement moving forward.

"These statistics are very misleading," Saban said. "First of all, how many times did we run the ball and what was our rushing yards on the rushing plays? If you want to get the true stats on the passing yards, take away all the sacks because those are all the negative plays that we had because we were passing the ball. There's a lot more balance than what the statistics show.

"... But there was a lot of production. I think all of our quarterbacks are better passers than they were a year ago — first, second and third-team guys. So I think that was encouraging."

Alabama had success with the deep ball early
Both teams had success with the deep ball in the first half, with Tagovailoa and Hurts connecting on long passes down the sideline. Calvin Ridley was especially deadly, racking up four receptions for 102 yards, including a 37-yard score in the fourth quarter. Robert Foster was also deadly, tallying two catches for 115 yards, including a 65-yard score in the first quarter.

"What I saw was we were playing against each other, so every time we completed one I was happy for the guy that completed it and I was saying, 'Why did the defensive guy let him complete it?" Saban said of the deep passes. "I guess to answer your question I'd have to say because we were playing against each other I had mixed emotions.

Najee Harris was Alabama's most productive back
The No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class did not disappoint Saturday. Early enrollee Najee Harris led all running backs, rushing for 70 yards on 17 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per carry. While Alabama struggled to establish much of a run game on the day, Harris looked impressive, breaking tackles and even hurdling over a player in the first half. Fellow early enrollee Brian Robinson finished with 21 yards on seven carries, while Josh Jacobs had 28 yards on seven carries.

"I think that Brian Robinson had a really good spring. I think Najee made a lot of progress this spring," Saban said. "We've got Jacobs, we've got Damien Harris, we've got Bo (Scarbrough), who didn't play today. We've got B.J. Emmons from last year, who didn't play today. He can do some things. I think all these guys, a lot of competition. I think it will make them all better.

Scott's kick ultimately cost him
While Scott will get the credit for kicking the game-winning field goal, he did so at his own expense. As a member of the White team, Scott ensured that he will be eating the loser's meal of hotdogs and beans instead of the winner's meal of steak tomorrow.

"I just missed the one before for the White team, but my mindset was 'I'm just going to go out there and do my job,'" Scott said.

Scott said while his White team teammates were upset about losing, none of them gave him a hard time after the game.

FROM THE SIDELINE
Saban's pregame speech
Saban's pregame speech was short and simple as the head coach focused on three things he wanted from his players on the day.

The first thing Saban mentioned was "ownership," stating he wanted his players to be accountable for every part of their performance on the field. The second thing was "keeping to the standard." Saban challenged his players to stick to the standard of toughness and being elite on the field. Saban concluded by telling his players to "respond well to adversity."

Plenty of familiar faces on the sidelines
Notable former players included all four team captains from last season in Reuben Foster, Jonathan Allen, Cam Robinson and Eddie Jackson. Other players from last season's team were Ryan Anderson, Tim Wiliams, Marlon Humphrey, O.J. Howard, ArDarius Stewart and Dalvin Tomlinson.

Notable pro players included Dont'a Hightower, Andre Smith, Derrick Henry, Chance Warmack, Jalston Fowler, D.J. Fluker and A'Shawn Robinson among others.

Tagovailoa shows maturity
Getting to watch the game on the White team sideline, I had the opportunity to really study Tagovailoa on the day. The first thing you notice about the Honolulu native is his smile. Tagovailoa seemed relaxed for the scrimmage, dancing to the music from the fans and even dropping the shaka or "hang loose" sign to cameras.

That's not to say the 6-foot-1, 219-pound quarterback wasn't taking things seriously. After every series, he would go over plays with wide receivers coach Mike Locksley, often asking for more clarification before ending each conversation with a nod and a confident smile.

After a hot start, the early enrollee failed to move the ball on several drives. During that time the White team was also struggling to run the ball and protect Tagovailoa in the pocket.

That prompted offensive line coach Brent Key to tear into his lineman on the sidelines. Following the tirade, Tagovailoa shook every one of the lineman's hands, telling them "good work" and "this is on me."

Locksley likes to throw to tight ends
Many of Locksley's conversations with Tagovailoa revolved around utilizing his tight ends better. On some occasions, Locksley notified Tagovailoa that he had forced balls downfield when he had an open tight end on an easier pass. The quarterback took note, nodding in agreement.

Averett keeping it honest
At one point in the first half, Alabama tried a reverse pass. While the play ended up falling incomplete starting cornerback Anthony Averett came off the field understandably confused.

"I didn't know what to do," Averett said with a smile coming off the field.

Ar'Darius Stewart still leading the wide receivers
After White team receiver T.J. Simmons dropped a pass in the first half, former receiver Ar'Darius Stewart let him know about it. A former leader of a unit that has referred to itself as the "assassins" Stewart called for an improvement from the receivers.

"I'm tired of that soft (stuff)," Stewart said to Simmons.

Surprised, Simmons questioned "Me," to which Stewart responded by saying, "All of y'all. Y'all need to go get it right."

The speech apparently had an impact on Simmons who finished with a team-high six catches for 82 yards.

Stewart fails to intimidate A'Shwan Robinson
Stewart was involved in another funny incident on the sideline. Messing with former teammate A'Shawn Robinson, the receiver shadow boxed the defensive end right in his face. Without flinching, Robinson, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Cochran up to his usual antics
Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran is always looking to make sure the sideline is ready for anything. The always energetic assistant twice swatted the ball out of running back B.J. Emmons' hands, one time knocking it onto the field of play. Cochran even tried to knock out my notepad at one point, albeit unsuccessfully.

He was a fun coach to be around, even joking with me that I should go up and make a speech during halftime in the White locker room.

 

[18Champs]

I didn't get to watch all of it because I'm repairing a busted water main, but what I did see of Tua, he looked pretty solid against the 2s, as did Jeudy.

No way in hell that guy's 'shirting this fall.

 

[TerryP]

Stats for those interested.

ROLLTIDE.COM - University of Alabama Official Athletics Site

 

[TerryP]

Not really football related ... gotta give a H/T to ESPN today. I thought they did a pretty damn good job.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Best A-Day of the Saban era and the first half was so much fun I forgot it was practice. I never saw anyone actually get penalized in spring ball for targeting but leave it to Ronnie to set the table. The freshmen were just as advertised and if we had asked more of Tua, Najee, Jeudy, we were just being greedy. Lastly, from what little I could see, Davis, Williams and Hall made me feel much better about next up on the DL.

 

[TerryP]

Most importantly though, no one got seriously injured

AR with a high ankle sprain and a MCL sprain...combination thing from what is being shared.

 

[TerryP]

-OL - So hard to gauge under the circumstances...

Saban said we've got four ready to play winning football. That's pretty much what we've been talking about since spring camp started.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

No way in hell that guy's 'shirting this fall.

I see you only read the 1st 2 sentences of my post.

So let me elaborate. He's not ready to be the backup. If Jalen gets hurt, we're fooked for the 3-4 games it would take Tua to get his sea legs. Look at how poorly he fared against the 1st team D when he was in for a couple series. Sure, he put up great numbers...against the 2s.

If we get a senior transfer over the summer to handle mop-up handoffs and FG holds, or if even the Walk-on can handle that, Saban will NOT burn a shirt on Tua.

It'll be just like 09. Star was the backup, but PJ Fitz did all the holding while Star handled the mop-up duties. Toward the 2nd half of the season, true frosh AJ started to show so much improvement that he'd essentially passed Star on the depth chart. Saban even said himself that had Greg gotten hurt late and even in the championship game, AJ would've played. But, Greg had broken ribs and still played because our D and running game was dependable enough to win a championship, despite Greg struggling with the injury and only throwing for 60 some-odd yards. So we didn't need AJ, and a year of his eligibility was saved.

Tua might be the best backup we have, but Saban is NOT going to squander a year of his eligibility for 20-30 snaps plus FG holds.

If there is ANY other QB besides Tua or Mac that Saban trusts well enough to not mess up handing the ball off in the last 2 min of a game, THAT QB will get those mop-up snaps.

It's a real possibility that Jalen stays for 4 years. Which means that if Tua stays, he'll have 1 year of eligibility to finally get the starter nod. I just don't see Saban gambling with losing a year of Tua's eligibility for mop-up duty this year.

Now, if Jalen gets hurt (god forbid, no pun intended), then Tua will probably play. But if Jalen stays healthy, I really don't see Saban wasting a year of Tua's eligibility.

 

[JoshB]

No ****, he's practiced for what, three months on a college level. Give him a break, everyone in the world knows he needs work, even him.

Really? Cause the way some on here were talking he was the starter from the day he stepped foot on campus... :eyeroll:

I was really impressed today with a lot of things which I very rarely end up being in a spring game (which might be a bad omen or something lol). Tua looked incredible... against the 2's... when he moved to the crimson team I think he was brought way back down to earth a bit... the difference in speed must have been frustrating for him. Still so much potential there.

Jalen still has work but the improvement is already there and it only been three months since the end of the season. Najee and Jeudy are absolutely beastly, and the thought of Ridley, Foster and Jeudy together as speed demons has got to be a terrifying thought for defensive coordinators. Miller looked like he may slide into that Tim Williams role quite nicely.

The DBs struggled mightily, McDonald and Fitzpatrick played really well, and Robinson got better as the game wore on, but boy Diggs has a waaaaaays to go. I feel like they threw him into the fire with the 1's to see where he's at and to see how he would handle it. Kind of reminds me of how Cyrus Jones played early on when he moved to corner, if he turns out like that he'll be a good one.

 

[EasyTider]

No ****, he's practiced for what, three months on a college level. Give him a break, everyone in the world knows he needs work, even him.

 

[BamaFan334]

Yes, and anyone else making the comment 'he has a long way to go and a lot to work on' that was implying he was already in a position to start Day 1.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The difference in the quality of QB play between Tua and Mac Jones was huge and the spring game settled that. Jones will not be the backup for this year's Tide squad. He looks physically and mentally like a redshirt waiting to happen.

 

[EasyTider]

Yes, and anyone else making the comment 'he has a long way to go and a lot to work on' that was implying he was already in a position to start Day 1.

Hurts is and should be #1. I'm just happy that we aren't necessarily doomed if Jalen goes down or doesn't perform. RTR

 

[JoshB]

Not really football related ... gotta give a H/T to ESPN today. I thought they did a pretty damn good job.

Hirby was awesome on the field, he wasnt afraid to even ask Saban/Daboll/Locksley questions in the middle of play calling and everything. And I liked that all three seemed like they got into it when the game gotta little bit more intensified at the end.

As a side not, the sacks stats are extremely annoying. Jalen was sacked "seven" times but about 5 of those would have been him gaining at least 6 yards each time had it been live.

 

[RoeTied]

Tua has future NFL starting QB written all over him. What an arm, what a release. Man.

 

[RTB X Bot]