TideSports.com staff
With fall camp opening later this week and practice on the way, the TideSports staff takes a look at some of the key issues facing Alabama. Sports editor Tommy Deas, columnist Cecil Hurt, beat writer Aaron Suttles and staff writer Ben Jones tackle five big questions.
1. Nick Saban's comments about the NFL Draft evaluation process were a talking point long after SEC Media Days. Other SEC coaches, like Gus Malzahn, drew some criticism for suggesting that the league can wear teams down before reaching the postseason. Do any of those ideas carry water with you?
Tommy Deas: We're obviously talking about two different issues here. I know it was spun that Nick Saban was trying to make an excuse for the Ohio State loss, but I didn't take it that way. The NFL has moved the draft back, so I don't see why the evaluation period could not also be moved back. The person it probably affected the most was Cardale Jones, who had started exactly one college game before facing Alabama in the playoff, and as soon as it's over he has I think it was 72 hours to make a decision, and he wasn't even on the draft radar a month before.
Nick Saban's comments at SEC Media Days generated talk long after he left the podium.
And yes, I do think the SEC schedule wears down teams. It's the price for paying in the toughest conference in college football. That also has its rewards, because if you win that conference you're probably going to have a chance to compete in the playoffs, and some years I think the SEC will get two teams in the four-team playoff field. It comes down to managing your roster, maybe using backups more, schools that use the hurry-up making tough decisions on whether they can maintain that through an entire season and still be fresh at the end, yet still trying to compete for the SEC championship. First-world problems.
Aaron Suttles: Saban's junior draft evaluation criticism has merit. The season has been extended thanks to the College Football Playoff, so why not push back the deadline, too? As far as the SEC beating each other up, that's true, but that's been the case for a long time. In most seasons, the SEC will get the benefit of the doubt unless the conference has a three-loss champion.
Cecil Hurt: They were a "talking point" for the usual "hot take" observers whose current hot take is that the SEC is down. Taken in context, both Saban and Malzahn were correct.
Ben Jones: The NFL Draft gripe makes sense from Saban's perspective, and maybe the date should be moved. It can only help NFL teams to watch teams in the postseason and get another chance to evaluate players. Do you think Manti Te'o's draft stock took a hit after the 2012 BCS Championship Game? On the other hand, it's hard to blame players for protecting themselves when they're so close to a payday after playing for free in college.
Malzahn's comments seemed like more of an excuse than Saban's to me. The strength of the SEC is its depth and that has served the league well for years. It's hard for me to believe the league's strength has been to the detriment of its teams.
2. Speaking of legitimate gripes, Alabama faces four teams coming off a bye this year, including three SEC teams. Does that put Alabama at a significant disadvantage this year, or is that just a normal product of scheduling?
Aaron Suttles: This happened in 2010 when Alabama faced a whopping six teams coming off a bye. At the time, the league said it would work to ensure that never happened again. Yet, here we sit five years later with a similar situation. It's a definite disadvantage, but don't expect to hear Saban groan about it unless he's specifically asked.
Cecil Hurt: It's slightly higher than random but not high enough to be a conspiracy.
Tennessee is one of four teams to face Alabama off a bye this year.
Ben Jones: Somehow, every team finds a way to gripe about something with its schedule. Ole Miss has nine straight games to start the season. Georgia has the misfortune to draw Alabama and Auburn out of the West as the league rotates through the schedule. Florida has an six-week period with just one home game. About half the conference plays back-to-back road SEC games at some point, and Arkansas has it twice if you count a game in Arlington with Texas A&M. The schedule is the schedule. Line up and play.
Tommy Deas: This has been a long-standing issue: each team gets to decide where to take an open week in conference play, and Alabama chooses to do so before LSU in recent seasons. Other teams take theirs before Alabama. There are gaps left when the SEC schedule is announced, and some schools choose to play softer competition before facing Alabama, just like Alabama does in that week before Auburn each year.
Can it be an issue? Sure. But I'm not sure there's a way to solve it, and I'm not sure there's statistical evidence that teams are more likely to win tough games coming off a bye week.
3. Much of the narrative in fall camp will center around the quarterback battle, but Alabama has other questions to answer as well. Other than quarterback, what position holds the most intrigue in preseason practice for you?
Cecil Hurt: Everywhere except punter.
Tommy Deas: The offensive line has two returning starters, but how well that unit comes together and how well it plays will have the greatest impact on Alabama's season. There are questions in the defensive secondary and at wideout, but there is a lot of talent at those positions, albeit untested talent.
Aaron Suttles: For me, it's safety just because of the importance of the position and the experienced lack of depth. Wide receiver too because UA lost its top three wide receivers. And then outside linebacker, where there is an abundance of talent.
Ben Jones: I'm with Tommy here. Offensive line is a finicky position, because sometimes the best five players don't make the best unit overall. Trying different combinations is necessary, and getting the same five guys in a rhythm is a big part of fall camp.
Alabama's Derrick Henry is one of the top returning running backs in the league for 2015.
4. As Aaron wrote last week, Alabama isn't the only team figuring things out at quarterback in August. But the league returns six of its top eight running backs from last year, and seven backs with over 900 rushing yards last year. Is the league cycling back to being more run-oriented?
Ben Jones: On the whole, no. The only new coach in the league is Jim McElwain at Florida and based on what he did at Colorado State, he'll probably pass more than Will Muschamp did if he finds a quarterback. Schools like Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas will continue to rely on the ground game, but they all have more faith in their running backs than their quarterbacks. There are some great running backs in the league this year that deserve attention, but I don't think that indicates the start of a trend.
Tommy Deas: I don't think so. You're going to have LSU and Arkansas running more power-oriented offenses, and Nick Saban has hinted that he wants Alabama to get back to a more physical brand of football. Georgia is also more of a pro-style team, as is Tennessee, but other than that you're still going to see a lot of teams running some variation of the spread. If you pay close attention, however, you'll note that spread teams still do better when they have a real threat in the ground game. In the final analysis, it's still football.
Aaron Suttles: There are unquestionably some great backs in the league this year, but I think the proliferation of the pass isn't going to stop just because there aren't any top tier quarterbacks. Balance is the key.
Cecil Hurt: The league has generally been run-oriented anyway. Yes, I think most teams who can run will run.
5. There are probably fewer questions on defense, with seven returning starters. Who do you see as Alabama's most important defensive player this year? Jonathan Allen? Reggie Ragland? Cyrus Jones? Someone else?
Aaron Suttles: Reggie Ragland. He's got great talent, but it's now his show on defense. He'll be the guy everyone looks to. Having said that, when you have that defensive line and its depth in front of you, like Ragland does, it makes your job a heck of a lot easier.
Cecil Hurt: That's tough because it depends a lot on who is making the calls on the field. Ragland is probably as good an interview individual call as anyone.
Ben Jones: It's important to find a reliable option at safety but without knowing who wins that spot, I'm inclined to go with Ragland. You know he's going to be a major part of the defense this year no matter who is playing elsewhere.
Tommy Deas: Whoever ends up winning the job at strong safety will have a big role in this defense. Alabama has had a line of superior safeties, and this is a hugely important position in Nick Saban's defense.
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1786845#sthash.srnNJOgG.dpuf
With fall camp opening later this week and practice on the way, the TideSports staff takes a look at some of the key issues facing Alabama. Sports editor Tommy Deas, columnist Cecil Hurt, beat writer Aaron Suttles and staff writer Ben Jones tackle five big questions.
1. Nick Saban's comments about the NFL Draft evaluation process were a talking point long after SEC Media Days. Other SEC coaches, like Gus Malzahn, drew some criticism for suggesting that the league can wear teams down before reaching the postseason. Do any of those ideas carry water with you?
Tommy Deas: We're obviously talking about two different issues here. I know it was spun that Nick Saban was trying to make an excuse for the Ohio State loss, but I didn't take it that way. The NFL has moved the draft back, so I don't see why the evaluation period could not also be moved back. The person it probably affected the most was Cardale Jones, who had started exactly one college game before facing Alabama in the playoff, and as soon as it's over he has I think it was 72 hours to make a decision, and he wasn't even on the draft radar a month before.
Nick Saban's comments at SEC Media Days generated talk long after he left the podium.
And yes, I do think the SEC schedule wears down teams. It's the price for paying in the toughest conference in college football. That also has its rewards, because if you win that conference you're probably going to have a chance to compete in the playoffs, and some years I think the SEC will get two teams in the four-team playoff field. It comes down to managing your roster, maybe using backups more, schools that use the hurry-up making tough decisions on whether they can maintain that through an entire season and still be fresh at the end, yet still trying to compete for the SEC championship. First-world problems.
Aaron Suttles: Saban's junior draft evaluation criticism has merit. The season has been extended thanks to the College Football Playoff, so why not push back the deadline, too? As far as the SEC beating each other up, that's true, but that's been the case for a long time. In most seasons, the SEC will get the benefit of the doubt unless the conference has a three-loss champion.
Cecil Hurt: They were a "talking point" for the usual "hot take" observers whose current hot take is that the SEC is down. Taken in context, both Saban and Malzahn were correct.
Ben Jones: The NFL Draft gripe makes sense from Saban's perspective, and maybe the date should be moved. It can only help NFL teams to watch teams in the postseason and get another chance to evaluate players. Do you think Manti Te'o's draft stock took a hit after the 2012 BCS Championship Game? On the other hand, it's hard to blame players for protecting themselves when they're so close to a payday after playing for free in college.
Malzahn's comments seemed like more of an excuse than Saban's to me. The strength of the SEC is its depth and that has served the league well for years. It's hard for me to believe the league's strength has been to the detriment of its teams.
2. Speaking of legitimate gripes, Alabama faces four teams coming off a bye this year, including three SEC teams. Does that put Alabama at a significant disadvantage this year, or is that just a normal product of scheduling?
Aaron Suttles: This happened in 2010 when Alabama faced a whopping six teams coming off a bye. At the time, the league said it would work to ensure that never happened again. Yet, here we sit five years later with a similar situation. It's a definite disadvantage, but don't expect to hear Saban groan about it unless he's specifically asked.
Cecil Hurt: It's slightly higher than random but not high enough to be a conspiracy.
Tennessee is one of four teams to face Alabama off a bye this year.
Ben Jones: Somehow, every team finds a way to gripe about something with its schedule. Ole Miss has nine straight games to start the season. Georgia has the misfortune to draw Alabama and Auburn out of the West as the league rotates through the schedule. Florida has an six-week period with just one home game. About half the conference plays back-to-back road SEC games at some point, and Arkansas has it twice if you count a game in Arlington with Texas A&M. The schedule is the schedule. Line up and play.
Tommy Deas: This has been a long-standing issue: each team gets to decide where to take an open week in conference play, and Alabama chooses to do so before LSU in recent seasons. Other teams take theirs before Alabama. There are gaps left when the SEC schedule is announced, and some schools choose to play softer competition before facing Alabama, just like Alabama does in that week before Auburn each year.
Can it be an issue? Sure. But I'm not sure there's a way to solve it, and I'm not sure there's statistical evidence that teams are more likely to win tough games coming off a bye week.
3. Much of the narrative in fall camp will center around the quarterback battle, but Alabama has other questions to answer as well. Other than quarterback, what position holds the most intrigue in preseason practice for you?
Cecil Hurt: Everywhere except punter.
Tommy Deas: The offensive line has two returning starters, but how well that unit comes together and how well it plays will have the greatest impact on Alabama's season. There are questions in the defensive secondary and at wideout, but there is a lot of talent at those positions, albeit untested talent.
Aaron Suttles: For me, it's safety just because of the importance of the position and the experienced lack of depth. Wide receiver too because UA lost its top three wide receivers. And then outside linebacker, where there is an abundance of talent.
Ben Jones: I'm with Tommy here. Offensive line is a finicky position, because sometimes the best five players don't make the best unit overall. Trying different combinations is necessary, and getting the same five guys in a rhythm is a big part of fall camp.
Alabama's Derrick Henry is one of the top returning running backs in the league for 2015.
4. As Aaron wrote last week, Alabama isn't the only team figuring things out at quarterback in August. But the league returns six of its top eight running backs from last year, and seven backs with over 900 rushing yards last year. Is the league cycling back to being more run-oriented?
Ben Jones: On the whole, no. The only new coach in the league is Jim McElwain at Florida and based on what he did at Colorado State, he'll probably pass more than Will Muschamp did if he finds a quarterback. Schools like Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas will continue to rely on the ground game, but they all have more faith in their running backs than their quarterbacks. There are some great running backs in the league this year that deserve attention, but I don't think that indicates the start of a trend.
Tommy Deas: I don't think so. You're going to have LSU and Arkansas running more power-oriented offenses, and Nick Saban has hinted that he wants Alabama to get back to a more physical brand of football. Georgia is also more of a pro-style team, as is Tennessee, but other than that you're still going to see a lot of teams running some variation of the spread. If you pay close attention, however, you'll note that spread teams still do better when they have a real threat in the ground game. In the final analysis, it's still football.
Aaron Suttles: There are unquestionably some great backs in the league this year, but I think the proliferation of the pass isn't going to stop just because there aren't any top tier quarterbacks. Balance is the key.
Cecil Hurt: The league has generally been run-oriented anyway. Yes, I think most teams who can run will run.
5. There are probably fewer questions on defense, with seven returning starters. Who do you see as Alabama's most important defensive player this year? Jonathan Allen? Reggie Ragland? Cyrus Jones? Someone else?
Aaron Suttles: Reggie Ragland. He's got great talent, but it's now his show on defense. He'll be the guy everyone looks to. Having said that, when you have that defensive line and its depth in front of you, like Ragland does, it makes your job a heck of a lot easier.
Cecil Hurt: That's tough because it depends a lot on who is making the calls on the field. Ragland is probably as good an interview individual call as anyone.
Ben Jones: It's important to find a reliable option at safety but without knowing who wins that spot, I'm inclined to go with Ragland. You know he's going to be a major part of the defense this year no matter who is playing elsewhere.
Tommy Deas: Whoever ends up winning the job at strong safety will have a big role in this defense. Alabama has had a line of superior safeties, and this is a hugely important position in Nick Saban's defense.
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1786845#sthash.srnNJOgG.dpuf
