April 3, 2015
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
Is this his year?
It's as good a time as any for Chris Black to put together his breakout season. The junior wide receiver has been a fan favorite to have a signature season for each of his four years on campus.
His freshman year, as an early enrollee, Black sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire season. Then Amari Cooper became a phenomenon, and it became difficult for another receiver to make his mark.
Now Black is one of the more experienced offensive skill players, and the 6-foot, 192-pounder from Jacksonville, Fla., is ready to step up on and off the field.
Blessed with quick-twitch speed and quickness, Black has always been a natural at slot receiver, but he's added strength and experience to play outside as well.
"I think being out wide you have to be a beast with your releases and everything and being inside it's more reading, it's more mental," Black said. "That's the difference for me (this season).
"(I've improved) my releases, just trying to attack the (defensive back), and my releases. Just catching the ball better, bursting up field and transitioning after the catch."
Black is one of the main candidates to replace the production Alabama lost at wide receiver with the departure of Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christian Jones. Black caught 15 passes for 188 yards in 2014.
This season Black expects his role to expand a little bit to include possibly running the ball, which Cooper and Jones did last year on jet sweeps.
He's also a good role model for young players anxious to see the field. Perhaps no one can preach the virtues of patience more than Black, who has been expected to see more playing time for years.
During his end-of-the-season meeting with the coaching staff, Black had the expectations laid out for him.
"(It was) just for me to look ahead, be positive," Black said. "Of course I've been waiting on playing time for awhile now. But the main thing is just for me to look ahead and be a leader of this group."
Part of leading is helping develop the younger receivers he practices along side of everyday. Some of those more inexperienced players have already made an impression.V "I'd say Derek Kief. He's made a lot of improvement. And of course, me, Robert Foster, and ArDarius Stewart, we've all made a lot of improvement as well," Black said.
"(Stewart is) definitely playing faster. It was mental with him. But now he's got everything down pat and he can go out there and play fast. (He's a fast guy, he's physical. I know he really goes up and high points the ball each and every time he needs to.(Foster's) playing faster. He knows the game, he knows the playbook in and out.
"To me it's a special group, it's a hungry group. A lot of guys in the receiving room now, we've all been kind of waiting on our chance and now we have it."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1753590#sthash.mwfI4xjH.dpuf
Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
Is this his year?
It's as good a time as any for Chris Black to put together his breakout season. The junior wide receiver has been a fan favorite to have a signature season for each of his four years on campus.
His freshman year, as an early enrollee, Black sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire season. Then Amari Cooper became a phenomenon, and it became difficult for another receiver to make his mark.
Now Black is one of the more experienced offensive skill players, and the 6-foot, 192-pounder from Jacksonville, Fla., is ready to step up on and off the field.
Blessed with quick-twitch speed and quickness, Black has always been a natural at slot receiver, but he's added strength and experience to play outside as well.
"I think being out wide you have to be a beast with your releases and everything and being inside it's more reading, it's more mental," Black said. "That's the difference for me (this season).
"(I've improved) my releases, just trying to attack the (defensive back), and my releases. Just catching the ball better, bursting up field and transitioning after the catch."
Black is one of the main candidates to replace the production Alabama lost at wide receiver with the departure of Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christian Jones. Black caught 15 passes for 188 yards in 2014.
This season Black expects his role to expand a little bit to include possibly running the ball, which Cooper and Jones did last year on jet sweeps.
He's also a good role model for young players anxious to see the field. Perhaps no one can preach the virtues of patience more than Black, who has been expected to see more playing time for years.
During his end-of-the-season meeting with the coaching staff, Black had the expectations laid out for him.
"(It was) just for me to look ahead, be positive," Black said. "Of course I've been waiting on playing time for awhile now. But the main thing is just for me to look ahead and be a leader of this group."
Part of leading is helping develop the younger receivers he practices along side of everyday. Some of those more inexperienced players have already made an impression.V "I'd say Derek Kief. He's made a lot of improvement. And of course, me, Robert Foster, and ArDarius Stewart, we've all made a lot of improvement as well," Black said.
"(Stewart is) definitely playing faster. It was mental with him. But now he's got everything down pat and he can go out there and play fast. (He's a fast guy, he's physical. I know he really goes up and high points the ball each and every time he needs to.(Foster's) playing faster. He knows the game, he knows the playbook in and out.
"To me it's a special group, it's a hungry group. A lot of guys in the receiving room now, we've all been kind of waiting on our chance and now we have it."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1753590#sthash.mwfI4xjH.dpuf
