| FTBL Grading the Tide through the regular season: Staff and position by position

[Justneedme81]

Now that regular season is over, and we're waiting to see if we get in the playoff or not, I wanted to go ahead and evaluate the positions and rate them on grade scale.

QB: Milroe had somewhat inconsistent year, and some of that was injuries, and some of that was bad game planning, and some of that was on Milroe. I think it's best for Alabama and Milroe to move on and which he will. I think the future is bright at QB position. I expect Simpson/Mack to compete for starting job in the spring and hopefully, the offense will be much much better next year. I just wish Simpson got more opportunities in the game this year especially if Milroe was struggling or hurt. I would rate them C- mostly because the coaching staff did horrible job with QB development and game planning for Milroe.
Grade: C-

RBs: Haynes wasn't 100 percent healthy for the most part of the season. Miller should've got more touches the last few weeks. Their inability to find the holes concerns me and I don't know if it's the scheme, or it's just them. We went through that the last few years with CNS. Coaching didn't help them at all. B
Grade: D-

WRs- Solid performance. Blocking has improved slightly, but when Law went out, we struggled real bad. When Law came back, he wasn't the same. We haven't heard much of him lately. Ryan Williams hit freshman wall and is dropping the balls a lot. I think with Hale coming back and other young players coming in next year, the future is bright.

Grade: B-

OL- Whew! The left side of OL has been real good. Pritchett is the one who has been inconsistent, and I don't understand why we keep giving him playing time. When he's good, he's GOOD. When he's bad, he's BAD. I hate to grade them based on one person's performance, I wish I could give them B plus but Pritchett didn't help. I'll have to drop the grade down to C+ with closer to B-.
Grade: C+

DL-One word to describle everyone on that DL: Inconsistent. We need better players at DL and we will get them through portal. They are the reason why we allowed huge run gains throughout the season. They can't maintain the gaps or close on gaps quickly. We seen that last night several times.
Grade: D-

LBs- Lawson/ Robinson injured didn't help us, but Justin Jefferson had a solid game once again and that's a good thing. Future is bright at LB position. We will get better, and I think we will be just fine.
Grade: B+

CB/Safety: Love, love watching their growth this season. Very impressed with them. Brown, Smith, Jackson, Hubbard, Moore, you name them all. They all are dogs!

Punter/Kicker: Incomplete grade. Might pass the class though.

HC: Deboer tried this season and it was up and down for him. He knew what was coming and he handled it well given the limitation he had this season with personnel and staff. I give him the grade of...
Grade: B-

Wommack: Defense struggled in the early part of the season and has come together in recent weeks and should be able to build on that going into offseason. Defense works for the major part and He needs to grab players in portal to make defense even better. I'm not afraid to say this: Our defense could be much much stingy and nastier than Texas Defense was this year. If Wommack stays with us... We'll be in great shape. If not, I expect Morrell to move on to the field. Either way, we'll be fine.
Grade: B-

Sheridan: He does not know how to adjust throughout the game and it has showed that over and over. The game plan for each opponents baffles me and i wonder who's really at fault: him, Coaching staff or the analyst team. Who knows? But I do know this: He can't come back to the team next year unless someone helps him with playcalling or we get someone even better.
Grade: F

Cheerleaders: not impressed.

 

[Rsedge72]

Now that regular season is over, and we're waiting to see if we get in the playoff or not, I wanted to go ahead and evaluate the positions and rate them on grade scale.

QB: Milroe had somewhat inconsistent year, and some of that was injuries, and some of that was bad game planning, and some of that was on Milroe. I think it's best for Alabama and Milroe to move on and which he will. I think the future is bright at QB position. I expect Simpson/Mack to compete for starting job in the spring and hopefully, the offense will be much much better next year. I just wish Simpson got more opportunities in the game this year especially if Milroe was struggling or hurt. I would rate them C- mostly because the coaching staff did horrible job with QB development and game planning for Milroe.
Grade: C-

RBs: Haynes wasn't 100 percent healthy for the most part of the season. Miller should've got more touches the last few weeks. Their inability to find the holes concerns me and I don't know if it's the scheme, or it's just them. We went through that the last few years with CNS. Coaching didn't help them at all. B
Grade: D-

WRs- Solid performance. Blocking has improved slightly, but when Law went out, we struggled real bad. When Law came back, he wasn't the same. We haven't heard much of him lately. Ryan Williams hit freshman wall and is dropping the balls a lot. I think with Hale coming back and other young players coming in next year, the future is bright.

Grade: B-

OL- Whew! The left side of OL has been real good. Pritchett is the one who has been inconsistent, and I don't understand why we keep giving him playing time. When he's good, he's GOOD. When he's bad, he's BAD. I hate to grade them based on one person's performance, I wish I could give them B plus but Pritchett didn't help. I'll have to drop the grade down to C+ with closer to B-.
Grade: C+

DL-One word to describle everyone on that DL: Inconsistent. We need better players at DL and we will get them through portal. They are the reason why we allowed huge run gains throughout the season. They can't maintain the gaps or close on gaps quickly. We seen that last night several times.
Grade: D-

LBs- Lawson/ Robinson injured didn't help us, but Justin Jefferson had a solid game once again and that's a good thing. Future is bright at LB position. We will get better, and I think we will be just fine.
Grade: B+

CB/Safety: Love, love watching their growth this season. Very impressed with them. Brown, Smith, Jackson, Hubbard, Moore, you name them all. They all are dogs!

Punter/Kicker: Incomplete grade. Might pass the class though.

HC: Deboer tried this season and it was up and down for him. He knew what was coming and he handled it well given the limitation he had this season with personnel and staff. I give him the grade of...
Grade: B-

Wommack: Defense struggled in the early part of the season and has come together in recent weeks and should be able to build on that going into offseason. Defense works for the major part and He needs to grab players in portal to make defense even better. I'm not afraid to say this: Our defense could be much much stingy and nastier than Texas Defense was this year. If Wommack stays with us... We'll be in great shape. If not, I expect Morrell to move on to the field. Either way, we'll be fine.
Grade: B-

Sheridan: He does not know how to adjust throughout the game and it has showed that over and over. The game plan for each opponents baffles me and i wonder who's really at fault: him, Coaching staff or the analyst team. Who knows? But I do know this: He can't come back to the team next year unless someone helps him with playcalling or we get someone even better.
Grade: F

Cheerleaders: not impressed.

I couldn’t agree more! This is an accurate take on this team this year!!
RB’s early on, couldn’t block at all is pass pro. They improved a little, but all your grades are fair/accurate in my opinion

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Will try to add mine when I get a chance later on...

 

[Justneedme81]

Will try to add mine when I get a chance later on...

Sound good.

 

[TideatMileHigh]

I know we still have the bowl game coming up, but bowl games are exhibition games that aren't really decided by who has the better team but rather the more "motivated" team... Honestly, I'd give him a B+ to an A-. That might be sacrilegious for some of you, but all things considered I think he did a good job this year. Alabama beat a decent amount of quality teams this year, and I think it's important to ultimately remember that. The 2024 team is a very raw unfinished product, that with continued supervision and leadership could turn into something very good. Alabama this year showed signs of excellence, but they also showed signs of massive inconsistency. Some historical reference: Urban Meyer went 9-3 in his first year at UF, and one of those loses was a 31-3 stomping by Alabama. This was a Florida team that also had Charlie Strong as their DC and Dan Mullen as their OC. Try not to overly fixate on the loses is all I'm trying to say.

My grades for some of the assistant coaches:

Nick Sheridan: B-. I think Sheridan was somewhat handicap by Jalen Milroe's skillset and the offensive line. He had moments where he called excellent games, and then he had moments where he fell asleep at the wheel. It's worth noting that Sheridan was ultimately a contingency hire for Ryan Grubb.

Chris Kapilovic (O Line Coach): D-: Alabama's offensive line was shit this year IMO for the second year in a row. Like Sheridan, Coach Kapilovic was a contingency hire because Scott Huff got cold feet... I really think Scott Huff and Ryan Grubb could've made a decent difference on this team.

Kane Womack: A-. 2nd half of the UGA game was horrible and the Vandy game was unacceptable. I think the defense did okay in the Oklahoma game, but that 24-3 shitshow was more on the offense. But overall, I think Womack did a good job this year.

Other thoughts: A lot of college football players in 2024 are undisciplined shitbags who lack impulse control. Sadly, they have a significant amount of the bargaining power, and I think coaches walk on eggshells to not upset them. There needs to be a lot of regulation towards creating a system that equalizes the power imbalance in college football between players and coaches.

 

[Justneedme81]

I created a thread similar to this. Take a look there. Interesting your has quite different take than minew was.

 

[24and7]

Freddie Roach might be able to keep his assistant head coach title if he moves to linebackers!!… he does not have a history of being a defensive lineman.. We need a defensive lineman to teach that position …He was a very good linebacker and he can teach that.!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Regular Season Report Card

QB: C+ This is a theme you will see with a couple of positions, but Milroe wasn't always put in the best spot this season in terms of him finding success. I think it took a while for the staff to figure out the sweet spot for Milroe. Then, he ended up playing banged up against South Carolina and Tennessee which limited him even more. He had some really good games against UGA and LSU for example, but a terrible game at Oklahoma. Overall, way too inconsistent and it just never felt like Sheridan could build on what was successful, week to week. Also, I took him from a B- to a C+ just based on his tackle "attempt" in the OU game.

RB: C- Again, we have a group that IMO wasn't given the needed carries. But, the group also fell short of (my) expectations. They failed to get to the second level too often... Some of that was due to not breaking enough tackles, some of it vision.

TE: A Overall, the production Bama got out of the group was really solid. What probably went unnoticed by some was the blocking that they contributed with, starting with Ouzts. Those guys played to their potential though, and maybe then some, at times. Dippre and Cuevas were 3rd and 4th respectively in receptions on the team. When was the last time 2 of the top 4 were TE's in that department?

WR: C- Ryan Williams started off on fire, then his age and lack of experience started to catch up to him some (which is normal). Still, just on athletic ability alone, he made this group much better. Germie Bernard proved to be a do-it-all guy who does it all well. He ended up being a very important (pickup) piece to this team. I was disappointed in the production (and use) of Kendrick Law. He didn't always help himself when he got some opportunities, but there was a role for him in this offense that never really got off the ground. He did provide the best blocking of the group which counts for something. But with the motion and mis-direction that DeBoer likes to use, I just think he could have really been a weapon with his speed and ability in space. I liked what Cole Adams was doing but he just had some shit injury luck. Overall, they needed another couple of guys to step up and that never really happened. But, as the offensive identity was in flux for pretty much the entirety of the season, it's also a bit understandable.

OL: C- I'd give the inside guys (center and guards) a B+ and the tackles a D. Parker Brailsford proved to be yet another key addition by this staff. Tyler Booker was consistently good, as was Jaeden Roberts when he wasn't too hampered by injuries. Geno VanDeMark also played pretty well when he was called upon. Booker and Roberts were a half step slow for what DeBoer and Sheridan really wanted to do, but it's not their fault the previous staff wanted them to be as big as cement trucks. That same issue hampered Kadyn Proctor on the left side as well, he's got heavy feet that have gotten him beaten a little too often... he's still in the process of shedding weight and reshaping his body. He made good progress last spring and summer, but is not where he needs to be yet. Elijah Pritchett was just flat out too inconsistent from game to game and snap to snap. His focus isn't sharp and bad plays linger in his head and lead to more bad plays. Wilkin Formby was just too green and also a bit too slow (especially early in the year) to handle the right tackle job, but he did improve. He's a hard worker and IMO will be ok going forward even if it means moving inside to guard.

Interior DL: C Again, inconsistency is the overall theme here. They are having to get out of the old mindset they had under the previous staff and learn new habits under this scheme, and that isn't always easy. They also don't have a great position coach (IMO) helping them in that department (and others). But, several of the guys showed flashes. Tim Keenan III had a really good season. Tim Smith had his moments. LT Overton (another good portal pickup) was good. Certainly a lot of room for them to have been better, but at times, they were pretty stout.

LB: B It took them a little bit to get comfortable and play "fast" in the system, but they eventually got there. The inside guys (Lawson, Campbell, and Jefferson) were a solid A. Q Robinson gave us all he had outside, but I said going into the season that edge LB was going to be a weak spot relative to what Bama has been used to in recent years. Qua Russaw is still a bit raw, but he got valuable experience this season, played well overall and will be really good going forward. But the depth there this year just wasn't what it needed to be.

S: A Keon Sabb was yet another great pickup who came in and made an immediate impact. Malachi Moore, despite losing his cool a couple of times, played well. Bray Hubbard was the surprise of the year, IMO. He came on and replaced Sabb and had some monster games. He fits this scheme like a glove.

CB: A- This was supposed to be the weak spot coming into the season... Hard not to give them an A based on their overall performance as a group. I had my doubts that Domoni Jackson could be a lockdown corner this season, but he proved me wrong. He looked like a 3 year starter under Saban instead of a kid that played for a soft USC defense a season ago. Zabien Brown improved week by week. He was really thrown into the fire and he came out the other side of it really well. DeVonta Smith was solid. Jaylen Mbakwe is another true freshman that stepped up. One thing about this group too, they aren't afraid to step up in run support. Like the safety group, these guys were very well coached.

OC: C- I'm probably being a bit generous here... Sheridan had a couple of A games and a couple of F games... most were somewhere in the middle. As mentioned before, I don't think he adjusted well enough, or quick enough, to how they needed to use Milroe. He'd also have some head scratching calls at times that killed momentum or put Bama needlessly behind the chains. I thought there were times when more pre-snap motion would have been effective. But, for a guy without much history of calling plays, and a guy that never had to do it against SEC defenses before, it wasn't completely terrible. Coaches have learning curves too and because of that I'm sorta grading him on a one.

DC: B- Call it bend but don't break if you want, but the fact is, they didn't give up a lot of points (17.3 per game). And some of the ones they did give up were a result of the offense putting them in some bad spots. They also led the conference in forced turnovers with 27. Were they great? No. But they were very far from bad. They had 6 terrible quarters in a row, but other than that they gave the team a chance to win each and every week.

HC: B- I said before the season that this would be a learning journey for DeBoer... As good as I believe him to be, life in the SEC is a different world. I think he probably has a decent understanding of that now after this season. There are no days off. No gimmie games. And playing on the road is not for the faint of heart. This league is cutthroat in every conceivable way. There were some bad games and moments, from the Vandy and OU debacles to getting flagged for duplicate numbers. But he also showed that he's got what it takes... the early throttling of UGA was evidence enough. Going into Baton Rouge at night and emptying their stadium well before the clock hit 0:00. Rebounding from the debacle in Norman and clipping a sky high auburn team. Those are some promising data points.



And FWIW @Justneedme81, the cheerleaders are ok, but the dance team is where it's at.

 

[BamaFan615]

Why do we think that Milroe is gone after this season?

Do we think he transfers? Or tests the NFL waters?

I’d hate to see him transfer.

And I don’t see it very likely that he will be a top draft pick if he chose to go pro this year.

If Milroe is out of the equation, I’d put my early money on Mack to win that spot.

 

[24and7]

Why do we think that Milroe is gone after this season?

Do we think he transfers? Or tests the NFL waters?

I’d hate to see him transfer.

And I don’t see it very likely that he will be a top draft pick if he chose to go pro this year.

If Milroe is out of the equation, I’d put my early money on Mack to win that spot.

Milroe will have to change positions in the NFL..He may succeed in the UFL and eventually go to the NFL..
If he stays look for all of our qbs to split..

 

[Justneedme81]

Why do we think that Milroe is gone after this season?

Do we think he transfers? Or tests the NFL waters?

I’d hate to see him transfer.

And I don’t see it very likely that he will be a top draft pick if he chose to go pro this year.

If Milroe is out of the equation, I’d put my early money on Mack to win that spot.

This has been addressed several time, Milroe is top 3 best quarterback in NFL. He is gone. he's unlikely coming back. He will kill it at combine and interviews. He's very likable person.

Simple as that.

 

[Justneedme81]

Milroe will have to change positions in the NFL..He may succeed in the UFL and eventually go to the NFL..
If he stays look for all of our qbs to split..

No he won't have to change positions. I hate this narrative. This is stupid.

 

[24and7]

No he won't have to change positions. I hate this narrative. This is stupid.

If he wants to play in the NFL he most certainly will… If college pressure affects him, wait till the pros blitz him..

 

[Rolltide24]

The commentators during the game noted he’s the #3 QB on the draft board for one of the big draft experts, like 81 said. If that’s the case, he’ll bolt and he should. It’s been noted for months that the QB draft class is going to be weak compared to recent classes. Beck, Ewers and Milroe have helped support that narrative with inconsistent play and turnovers. Just looking across the SEC you can see how down the QB talent is. Freshmen starting at Oklahoma and A&M during the season, several teams have started multiple QBs for various reasons (OK, Auburn, A&M, Texas, for examples). Dart has probably played better than anyone. Ewers has struggled, Nico is not where they’d hoped he would be (Peyton 2.0), Beck has struggled at times, Nuss has had his struggles, Cool has been inconsistent. Brock at UK is very inconsistent. And the SEC is the big dogs.

On the other hand, some of those experts have been known to be way off on talent evaluation and sometimes get googelly-eyed over physique. Heck, Anthony Richardson was not good in college but for some reason, he was the second coming leading up to the draft, same for Levis. Malik Willis (Liberty), Trey Lance, Kenny Pickett, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields. I’ll leave Bama guys out. Those are 6 first round QB selection just in the last 4 years. Willis was 3rd round but he got a good bit of hype as the draft approached. I’m not saying these guys are wrong more than they are right, but they don’t have an A or B average.

 

[24and7]

At some point the NFL is gonna have to expand 10 more teams or The UFL is gonna have to become competitive with the NFL in PAY and benefits… I don’t think there’s enough attrition to keep adding all of these so-called high draft picks.. especially as quarterbacks..

 

[Justneedme81]

If he wants to play in the NFL he most certainly will… If college pressure affects him, wait till the pros blitz him..

Dude, just stop. Just stop. You sound ridiculous.

 

[24and7]

Dude, just stop. Just stop. You sound ridiculous.

I can’t believe you actually think Milroe or ANY OF THIS YEARS QBs are NFL worthy..Just about all of them are average at best…They all have strengths but glaring weaknesses in their game..

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Why do we think that Milroe is gone after this season?

Do we think he transfers? Or tests the NFL waters?

I’d hate to see him transfer.

And I don’t see it very likely that he will be a top draft pick if he chose to go pro this year.

If Milroe is out of the equation, I’d put my early money on Mack to win that spot.

A post following the OU game a little over a week ago...

I'll see one (a scout) in a few days during Thanksgiving break and get his latest take... but the couple that I occasionally speak with along with 2 guys in the scouting industry that I've known for years, continue to say that Milroe's ceiling makes him one of the top QB's in this class. And his play has been up and down, which hasn't been a positive, but they've also pointed to others like Beck, Ewers, and Nussmeier, who are all high on certain boards and have also been consistently inconsistent. As for Milroe, he has shown he can make the throws. He has Lamar Jackson type ability as a runner. He's extremely bright in terms of his intelligence. He's far from a finished product, but teams see the potential and most believe they can get the most out of him, and fix the issues under the hood. It also makes a difference about the type of offense he ends up in (see: Jalen Hurts and Bo Nix) and he's almost certainly a guy that needs to go into a situation where he can sit for a couple of years if possible and not be rushed (see: Jordan Love).

FWIW, the unanimous opinion amongst them as of a couple weeks ago was that for now Shedeur Sanders was/is QB 1, and the line begins behind him.

Nothing has changed. He's going to get an opportunity to play in the Sr. Bowl should he accept the invitation. As mentioned already, he will light up the stop watches and clipboards during the combine and private workouts. He will interview well, especially if he preps well for the X's and O's stuff. He shouldn't have any major dings on his medical chart. He's got a lot of good tape out there from the past 2 seasons, showing his potential in a number of areas. He has a lot going for him.

Just to add a bit more, since there are some that can't wrap their mind around this... Scouts, GM's, etc. don't view this stuff the same way as fans. They don't see a player who makes a poor read, has a bad fumble, or overthrows an open WR and remove him from their board. They look for potential, and they see things that fly right by many (especially the emotional and simpler fans). The fan sees an incomplete pass. The scout sees Milroe putting a deep ball on a dime to #2 which would have been a TD almost every other time. The fan sees Milroe run for a touchdown. The scout sees the fact that blew right past and he left Malaki Starks, one of the most athletic and gifted defensive backs in CFB, in his dust.

Milroe is a legitimate NFL prospect and will absolutely be drafted this April if he chooses to declare, which again, is expected. It's certainly possible that his Dad and others could influence him to transfer and try to improve on some things... until that door is completely closed, I'll add that disclaimer. He will certainly be fielding calls and offers from other CFB teams. But, he will be drafted as a QB, sooner or later. That does not mean he will be successful in terms of a great or even good career... that's impossible to predict for anyone. But he will get his shot, and that's not even up for debate.

 

[24and7]

A post following the OU game a little over a week ago...



Nothing has changed. He's going to get an opportunity to play in the Sr. Bowl should he accept the invitation. As mentioned already, he will light up the stop watches and clipboards during the combine and private workouts. He will interview well, especially if he preps well for the X's and O's stuff. He shouldn't have any major dings on his medical chart. He's got a lot of good tape out there from the past 2 seasons, showing his potential in a number of areas. He has a lot going for him.

Just to add a bit more, since there are some that can't wrap their mind around this... Scouts, GM's, etc. don't view this stuff the same way as fans. They don't see a player who makes a poor read, has a bad fumble, or overthrows an open WR and remove him from their board. They look for potential, and they see things that fly right by many (especially the emotional and simpler fans). The fan sees an incomplete pass. The scout sees Milroe putting a deep ball on a dime to #2 which would have been a TD almost every other time. The fan sees Milroe run for a touchdown. The scout sees the fact that blew right past and he left Malaki Starks, one of the most athletic and gifted defensive backs in CFB, in his dust.

Milroe is a legitimate NFL prospect and will absolutely be drafted this April if he chooses to declare, which again, is expected. It's certainly possible that his Dad and others could influence him to transfer and try to improve on some things... until that door is completely closed, I'll add that disclaimer. He will certainly be fielding calls and offers from other CFB teams. But, he will be drafted as a QB, sooner or later. That does not mean he will be successful in terms of a great or even good career... that's impossible to predict for anyone. But he will get his shot, and that's not even up for debate.

Maybe he should give Lincoln Riley a shot… Ask Hurts… if he stays at USC. that is.

 

[BamaFan334]

A post following the OU game a little over a week ago...



Nothing has changed. He's going to get an opportunity to play in the Sr. Bowl should he accept the invitation. As mentioned already, he will light up the stop watches and clipboards during the combine and private workouts. He will interview well, especially if he preps well for the X's and O's stuff. He shouldn't have any major dings on his medical chart. He's got a lot of good tape out there from the past 2 seasons, showing his potential in a number of areas. He has a lot going for him.

Just to add a bit more, since there are some that can't wrap their mind around this... Scouts, GM's, etc. don't view this stuff the same way as fans. They don't see a player who makes a poor read, has a bad fumble, or overthrows an open WR and remove him from their board. They look for potential, and they see things that fly right by many (especially the emotional and simpler fans). The fan sees an incomplete pass. The scout sees Milroe putting a deep ball on a dime to #2 which would have been a TD almost every other time. The fan sees Milroe run for a touchdown. The scout sees the fact that blew right past and he left Malaki Starks, one of the most athletic and gifted defensive backs in CFB, in his dust.

Milroe is a legitimate NFL prospect and will absolutely be drafted this April if he chooses to declare, which again, is expected. It's certainly possible that his Dad and others could influence him to transfer and try to improve on some things... until that door is completely closed, I'll add that disclaimer. He will certainly be fielding calls and offers from other CFB teams. But, he will be drafted as a QB, sooner or later. That does not mean he will be successful in terms of a great or even good career... that's impossible to predict for anyone. But he will get his shot, and that's not even up for debate.

Not trying to be mean, but some idiot GM in the NFL will think he's the next Lamar Jackson. To be honest, their game is very similar with Jackson having a higher ceiling, but his lows are tough for the Ravens to overcome as well.