🏈 Dline depth

[JTbama]

I have the same oline concerns everyone else does but I'm also concerned about our lack of development along the dline. I saw Ball in the game but did we just whiff with King, Smith and Dwight? Did Davis play? I'm seeing Texas A&M make wholesale substitutions yet I feel like Allen plays every play. This is going to bite us if we don't get more guys going. And no, I'm not comparing A&M's defensive success to ours, I'm just wondering why we have been caught so shallow.

 

[94 Grad]

I have the same oline concerns everyone else does but I'm also concerned about our lack of development along the dline. I saw Ball in the game but did we just whiff with King, Smith and Dwight? Did Davis play? I'm seeing Texas A&M make wholesale substitutions yet I feel like Allen plays every play. This is going to bite us if we don't get more guys going. And no, I'm not comparing A&M's defensive success to ours, I'm just wondering why we have been caught so shallow.

I would agree on depth being a bit shallow on the DL, but it's more from being young and not having a backfill of talent behind the seniors. The next few years may be a bit rough on that front if we don't see someone standout and shine in the younger ranks.... Looking at the scout.com charts, we are a bit "under-age" after this year.

 

[JoshB]

So it's considered "whiffing" when a guy thats been in the program for four years gets playing time ahead of freshmen and sophomores?

 

[TUSKtimes]

With Raekwon Davis and OJ Smith getting into the game and played well. Davis is going to continue to be a mismatch starting yesterday. With Ball, Davis, and Smith, with 11 DLs getting in the game that's a lot of depth. On a defensive note, shout out to Christian Miller, I hope we figure out how to get him on the edge more?

Our guys on defense really seem to be playing a simpler scheme. Not seeing all the gyrations and last second changes at the line. Kids are playing really fast and that may be what is giving our rush and coverage a step up. Pruitt did a nice job with a very potent Petrino like spread passing team.

 

[TerryP]

with 11 DLs getting in the game that's a lot of depth.

Only nine have played:

Frazier (last week,) Davis (this week,) Smith, King, Ball, Hand, Payne, Tomlinson, and Allen.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Only nine have played:

Frazier (last week,) Davis (this week,) Smith, King, Ball, Hand, Payne, Tomlinson, and Allen.

That's still three deep Terry and not sure why we can't roll with that depth. That really was my point.

 

[JoshB]

Not to mention you have to add in Tim Williams, Rashaan Evans, Christian Miller and Ryan Anderson when you talk about the line because they will ALL have their hand in the dirt plenty.

 

[TerryP]

That's still three deep Terry and not sure why we can't roll with that depth. That really was my point.

Bodies versus actually being deep. We just saw Ball have a decent game. Now he joins Hand, Payne, Tomlinson, and Allen while certainly not being at their level.

Davis had what...half of a dozen snaps? We don't know anything about him yet but it's a safe assumption the staff doesn't see him ready for more. Frazier, Smith, and King are still works in progress—nothing noteworthy to point to in terms of what we can expect.

I know I've been beating this drum since the spring. My concerns aren't alleviated when I hear Saban mentioning the same thing in pressers before the season started and post-USC. To me, this is still a greater concern than those worried about the offensive line play and the running game. After all, we've seen those develop within the season on more than one occasion.