🏈 Spring Practice, 2018: Looking to A-day... (Update: Tua with 2nd surgery on hand.)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rainer Sabin | rsabin@al.com
  • Start date Start date
EasyTider said:
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Updating the status of Tua Tagovailoa's hand injury
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Just a sprain. Looks like @EasyTider was WRONG!
 
Alabama will experiment with its offensive line this spring, head coach Nick Saban said Tuesday.

When spring drills began Tuesday, Jedrick Wills was running with the first team at right tackle.

The rising sophomore was slotted there, because the incumbent starter Matt Womack was sidelined with a Jones fracture in his foot.

But don't be surprised if Wills remains a fixture within the top offensive line unit even when Womack is given a clean bill of health.

At the team's first offseason practice, Wills worked alongside Lester Cotton at right guard, Ross Pierschbacher at center, Josh Casher at left guard and Jonah Williams at left tackle.

It was a lineup subject to change, Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

"This probably won't be the first experiment we have in the offensive line in terms of who plays where," Saban asserted.

Back in January, former Crimson Tide center Bradley Bozeman predicted Saban would tinker with the blocking front, noting the versatility of the players at the coach's disposal gave him the latitude to do so.

"All the guys can play different positions," Bozeman said then.

Bozeman theorized that Saban wouldn't rest until he was certain the five most talented linemen were on the field, no matter the arrangement.

And right now Saban has a surplus of quality tackles.

Wills is one of them. So too is Alex Leatherwood, another rising sophomore who excelled when he replaced the injured Williams in the second half of Alabama's victory over Georgia in the national championship game.

"We feel Alex and Jonah both can play left tackle, but I think Alex can play someplace else, and I think Jonah can play someplace else," Saban said. "I think Jedrick Wills may be able to play somewhere else. So the goal is always to get the best five players on the field and we may experiment with somebody else playing center at some point in time as well. I just really like both of those young players (Leatherwood and Wills)."

That's about as strong of an endorsement as Saban will give. And it offered some insight into how this offensive line, which is in the nascent stages of development, could be constructed before the season.

Rainer Sabin | rsabin@al.com
Nick Saban: Alabama to experiment with O-Line
 
Sorry I'm late to the party fellas (and Philly)!

Sad to see very limited practice reports... Was hoping for some more reports on the order in lines and what not. Was surprised to see Wills in that first group and not big Leatherwood. Obviously lots of shifting with those guys this year though... Just want to see both bull dozing at the same time!

Did see a quick video of the DB's where it looked like Diggs and Carter were working first. No surprise there... But that boy #8 looks like a damn beast, just impressive physically. Anyone else expect those 3 to start with Carter at nickel?

RTR!
 
Tidestalker said:
Sad to see very limited practice reports... Was hoping for some more reports on the order in lines and what not. Was surprised to see Wills in that first group and not big Leatherwood. Obviously lots of shifting with those guys this year though... Just want to see both bull dozing at the same time!
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Right now, what's the point of reviewing orders and positions? They're changing every day right now. No offense intended with the question...it's just a case of "it is what it is," ya know?

You mentioned Leatherwood...he was working at LT on day one with Williams working at LG. And, we're still expecting Williams to get looks at center. Womack and his foot gave Wills a chance to work at RT and he's expected to slide inside and work at RG soon with Lashley getting reps at RT. Pierschbacher took the majority of the snaps at C on day one with Kennedy getting following him.

Jump to day two and Williams is back at LT with Casher getting reps with the 1's at LG. Cotton was getting reps at RG (remember, he's limited this spring already) with Wills at RT with Piers at C again.

Plug, play, plug, play, plug, play...it'll be like this the majority of the spring.

On a personal note(s)...

-I love the idea of having the left side look like AL, JW, RP. Strong group there.
-Imagine yourself in the shoes of an opposing quarterback...you're reading the defense while identifying the MIKE...and in the middle you see Moses and Mack. SMH...geez, imposing, if not downright nerve-racking look there, eh?
-You've seen "where's Ben Davis" as many times as any question over the last few years...he's been getting some work in the interior. To me that says he's beginning to grasp the intricacies of the LB corps scheme and is growing physically to be ready for SEC play.
-Based on a handful of comments from here and there...when Saban mentioned he thought the hires were "home runs" there's a lot echoing that opinion when it comes to Pete Golding.

I've got a half of a dozen emails about spring camp I've not opened yet...if there's anything "special" there I'll throw the observations here...take them for what they're worth.
 
BamaFan334 said:
"Pass Rushing Specialist"
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He has been. That term is most often used for a third down linebacker, not a three downs linebacker. We've had conversations about a few guys over the years and wondered if they'd be able to get run/pass downs proportionally, ya know?

Consider...Lewis is big enough for gap control if needed on the line, has a step that gets him around the ends. This we know. Is he athletic enough to be able to "flip is hips/direction" and fall into coverage? I think so.

Miller on the other hand...seen him fall into coverage. He can only get better. He know how he is on pass rush. I'm also seeing a guy that has the frame to stop bigger backs in open field tackles.

{If you can't tell, I really like the linebackers when the defense is in regular. That's just a ... geez, what a group.}
 
TerryP said:
Right now, what's the point of reviewing orders and positions? They're changing every day right now. No offense intended with the question...it's just a case of "it is what it is," ya know?
Click to expand...

If it's changing every day, there's a reason for it. If it's not, there's a reason for it. If Saban is involved - There's always a reason for "it". And since it's Spring practice there ain't much else to pay attention to!
 
TerryP said:
He has been. That term is most often used for a third down linebacker, not a three downs linebacker. We've had conversations about a few guys over the years and wondered if they'd be able to get run/pass downs proportionally, ya know?

Consider...Lewis is big enough for gap control if needed on the line, has a step that gets him around the ends. This we know. Is he athletic enough to be able to "flip is hips/direction" and fall into coverage? I think so.

Miller on the other hand...seen him fall into coverage. He can only get better. He know how he is on pass rush. I'm also seeing a guy that has the frame to stop bigger backs in open field tackles.

{If you can't tell, I really like the linebackers when the defense is in regular. That's just a ... geez, what a group.}
Click to expand...

I was saying that as a joke, because I simply got so freaking tired of hearing that phrase when they spoke about Tim Williams. I think you are 100% correct about Lewis. He has the size and speed to get past the tackles and shoot gaps, but he also has the length and speed to be great in coverage. One only need to see him and his interception during last year's A-Day, and the job he did against a highly touted line in Georgia's during the National Championship.

My visions for this linebacking corps is through the roof. I was hoping Moses would get more time last season, but he just had some seasoned vets that were great in their own right ahead of him. Mack Wilson wants to kill you every play and intercept every pass, and he can. Moses is lightening quick at 4.5, and packs a wallop at 235. Lewis on the end, man, we are loaded. We may lack experience in the secondary, but with the pressure I'm expecting us to get and the ground being covered by our linebackers, I think this could turn into one of our best defenses in years, maybe even rival the 2016 one.
 
Tidestalker said:
Sorry I'm late to the party fellas (and Philly)!

Sad to see very limited practice reports... Was hoping for some more reports on the order in lines and what not. Was surprised to see Wills in that first group and not big Leatherwood. Obviously lots of shifting with those guys this year though... Just want to see both bull dozing at the same time!

Did see a quick video of the DB's where it looked like Diggs and Carter were working first. No surprise there... But that boy #8 looks like a damn beast, just impressive physically. Anyone else expect those 3 to start with Carter at nickel?

RTR!
Click to expand...

Hey, a PhillyGirl reference! :wave:
 

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