BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
How the game continues to change for Alabama's defense.
Intimidation isn't easily measured.
But stats don't lie and the numbers help illustrate Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland's impression of Alabama's recent defenses. He said they've lost that fear factor that once contributed to the mystique of national defensive leaders.
Three years back, Alabama's defense led the nation in yardage allowed (250.0 a game) and points surrendered (18.4). That was the last national championship team. A year before that, the Alabama defense gave up just 183.6 yards and 8.2 points a game. Move ahead to 2014 and the Tide was No. 12 in total defense (328.4 yards) and No. 8 in scoring defense (18.4).
College football took the express lane in the evolutionary process, but Ragland isn't making excuses for the statistical drop and missing national titles.
"Guys aren't scared to play us anymore," Ragland said. "It's simple and that's a fact. Guys coming are excited to play us. When I got here, I used to see teams break down in the first half."
Alabama's lost four games in the past two seasons but hasn't exactly fallen far. But after dropping just five in the four previous seasons while winning three national titles, concern is relative.
So is opponent anxiety.
"It never was intimidating," said Mike Hilton, whose Ole Miss squad beat Alabama 23-17 last fall, "but we knew we were going to compete no matter how it turned out. We were going to compete. That was a step forward and it led to us beating them last year and we'll see how it goes down this year."
That loss wasn't as much of a defensive issue as the Tide outgained Ole Miss 396-323. Turnovers and offensive trouble doomed that game, but Alabama had trouble stopping Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. It allowed 537 yards in the 42-35 season-ending loss. In all, Alabama opponents averaged 36 points in the four Tide losses over the past two seasons. The 23 Alabama wins in that span saw foes score an average of 12.8 a game.
But times change.
In the three-plus years since the faster-paced offenses replaced traditional attacks Alabama preferred, the Tide changed the approach. Bulky linebackers were replaced by more athletic, trimmed down versions. Defensive linemen are more trim too. A'Shawn Robinson, who plays nose tackle, dropped eight points in the past year to 312. Go back six years and starting nose tackle Terrence Cody generously weighed 354 pounds.
"Being an old NFL guy, the way you play defense in the NFL is you play a lot of specialty defense because everything is based on situations," coach Nick Saban said. "What pace of play has done to the college game does not allow to you do that. So you have to basically play the same players in every situation because, if you do play situation defense and you're allowed to sub in that particular situation, you can't get the players out of the game.
"So it affects how you recruit. You can't recruit as many specialty players. And you have to be able to match up in all circumstances and situations with teams that actually play that way, which is more difficult."
Still, Alabama's plan is to turn up the physicality of its defense.
"We need to get that back and I think the front seven and the secondary have to do it," Ragland said. "We have to take it one game at a time and it starts with coach Saban in fall camp in 100 degree heat."
And that front seven is the reason for optimism in reaching the goal. The core of the line returns with potential top draft picks Jarran Reed and Jonathan Allen joining Robinson up front. Even second team players like D.J. Pettway could be taken next spring as former five-star prospects like Da'Shawn Hand wait their turn.
The hard-hitting Ragland will anchor the linebackers with famously physical Reuben Foster working into the scheme at the other middle linebacker position.
"We want to be more physical, tougher on the line of scrimmage," Saban said, "be relentless in the way that we compete so that we're never affected by what happens in a game."
Continue reading...
Intimidation isn't easily measured.
But stats don't lie and the numbers help illustrate Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland's impression of Alabama's recent defenses. He said they've lost that fear factor that once contributed to the mystique of national defensive leaders.
Three years back, Alabama's defense led the nation in yardage allowed (250.0 a game) and points surrendered (18.4). That was the last national championship team. A year before that, the Alabama defense gave up just 183.6 yards and 8.2 points a game. Move ahead to 2014 and the Tide was No. 12 in total defense (328.4 yards) and No. 8 in scoring defense (18.4).
College football took the express lane in the evolutionary process, but Ragland isn't making excuses for the statistical drop and missing national titles.
"Guys aren't scared to play us anymore," Ragland said. "It's simple and that's a fact. Guys coming are excited to play us. When I got here, I used to see teams break down in the first half."
Alabama's lost four games in the past two seasons but hasn't exactly fallen far. But after dropping just five in the four previous seasons while winning three national titles, concern is relative.
So is opponent anxiety.
"It never was intimidating," said Mike Hilton, whose Ole Miss squad beat Alabama 23-17 last fall, "but we knew we were going to compete no matter how it turned out. We were going to compete. That was a step forward and it led to us beating them last year and we'll see how it goes down this year."
That loss wasn't as much of a defensive issue as the Tide outgained Ole Miss 396-323. Turnovers and offensive trouble doomed that game, but Alabama had trouble stopping Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. It allowed 537 yards in the 42-35 season-ending loss. In all, Alabama opponents averaged 36 points in the four Tide losses over the past two seasons. The 23 Alabama wins in that span saw foes score an average of 12.8 a game.
But times change.
In the three-plus years since the faster-paced offenses replaced traditional attacks Alabama preferred, the Tide changed the approach. Bulky linebackers were replaced by more athletic, trimmed down versions. Defensive linemen are more trim too. A'Shawn Robinson, who plays nose tackle, dropped eight points in the past year to 312. Go back six years and starting nose tackle Terrence Cody generously weighed 354 pounds.
"Being an old NFL guy, the way you play defense in the NFL is you play a lot of specialty defense because everything is based on situations," coach Nick Saban said. "What pace of play has done to the college game does not allow to you do that. So you have to basically play the same players in every situation because, if you do play situation defense and you're allowed to sub in that particular situation, you can't get the players out of the game.
"So it affects how you recruit. You can't recruit as many specialty players. And you have to be able to match up in all circumstances and situations with teams that actually play that way, which is more difficult."
Still, Alabama's plan is to turn up the physicality of its defense.
"We need to get that back and I think the front seven and the secondary have to do it," Ragland said. "We have to take it one game at a time and it starts with coach Saban in fall camp in 100 degree heat."
And that front seven is the reason for optimism in reaching the goal. The core of the line returns with potential top draft picks Jarran Reed and Jonathan Allen joining Robinson up front. Even second team players like D.J. Pettway could be taken next spring as former five-star prospects like Da'Shawn Hand wait their turn.
The hard-hitting Ragland will anchor the linebackers with famously physical Reuben Foster working into the scheme at the other middle linebacker position.
"We want to be more physical, tougher on the line of scrimmage," Saban said, "be relentless in the way that we compete so that we're never affected by what happens in a game."
Continue reading...
