OldPlayer
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When one team scores on long plays and turnovers and the other drives down the field only to stall inside the 30, this happens.
| FTBL 🏈 Spring Practice - 2019 : A few names are emerging as leaders
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When one team scores on long plays and turnovers and the other drives down the field only to stall inside the 30, this happens.
BamaFan334
Member
Agreed. Hence why I said our coaches kept trying to get cute in the redzone. We looked like all of the teams that we do that to each week, pathetic.
Tidestalker
Member
Jacobs not getting the RZ touches hurts my soul.
B
Bama News
Perhaps because so much attention has been paid to the Alabama quarterback position over the past few seasons, there seems to have been less preseason conversation about the running backs, stretching back as far as Derrick Henry’s 2015 Heisman Trophy season.
That doesn’t mean Alabama hasn’t had great backs over that stretch — Bo Scarbrough, Kenyan Drake and last year’s most often-used trio: Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs.
That group was better than merely good. Jacobs is likely to be the first running back selected in the upcoming NFL Draft and there’s a fair possibility Damien Harris will be the second running back chosen. But it was a combination of circumstances that seemed to pull the spotlight away from the running backs at times. One factor was the Tua Tagovailoaexplosion, of course. His exploits, especially early in the season (and Jalen Hurts’ SEC Championship Game heroics as well) soaked up attention like a sponge biscuit would soak up gravy.
Second, there have been gradual changes in Alabama’s offense over the past four years. Even if a back came along with Henry’s rare mix of size, speed and durability, it’s hard to imagine the Crimson Tide reverting to the hammer-on-anvil attack that UA used in the 2015 Auburn game, when Henry carried the ball 387 consecutive times. (OK, it was 46 times, including Alabama’s last 14 offensive plays, but it seemed like 387.)
To put that number in perspective, Damien Harris led Alabama with 150 rushing attempts in 15 games — 10 per game. Jacobs’ versatility accounted for part of that, as did Alabama’s depth and the one-sided nature of so many of the games. Jacobs had 120 carries — eight per game — which prompted at least one NFL “Draft analyst,” who I will allow to remain in hot-take obscurity, to wonder “if Jacobs was so good, why didn’t he run the ball more?” The short answer is he didn’t need to, which now makes me an NFL Draft Analyst as well.
But what about 2019? With less than two weeks to go in spring practice, Nick Saban addressed that issue for the first time Wednesday.
“I think Najee (Harris) and B-Rob (Brian Robinson, the former Hillcrest star) are both really good players,” Saban said. I think both of them have gotten a significant amount of experience in the past. I think they’re ready to take the next step in terms of making really significant contributions. They’ve both had really good springs.”
Najee Harris, the No. 1 running back recruit in the 2017 class, has always been viewed as an heir apparent, waiting his turn to take over for two years. Saban probably never viewed it quite like that, but the answer, pairing Harris and Robinson as a tandem, spoke loudly.
“Past that, Jerome Ford is sort of a newcomer who has shown some flashes,” Saban continued. We’ve got a couple of other guys (Trey Sanders and Keilan Robinson) coming in this freshman class (but not participating this spring.) We’ve had a lot of diversity at running back in the past, but most of the time we’ve had a freshman that’s contributed to that. Mark Ingram was a freshman when Glen Coffee was here. Trent Richardson played some when he was a freshman when Mark (Ingram) was the player. If you just go through the history of all the guys, I think Eddie Lacy was probably the only guy that didn’t play some (as a true freshman), and that was because he was a late qualifier and got here late in the summer. I would expect that we get some help from that group of young players as well.
“But I’m really satisfied with those two guys, Najee and Brian.”
“Really satisfied” may not sound like high praise from some coaches. When Saban says it, then it’s best to pay attention.
TerryP
Staff
Looking back here for a little context:
To start, in the first half we saw five possessions with two INT's and two TD's (and a FG) with both turnovers around mid-field. The penalty killed the drive on the field goal after they'd called several running plays in a row. There wasn't any getting cute there that I observed.
With the game well out of hand Bama lost a possession on downs inside the red zone. They weren't getting fancy in my view. I recall several runs and a few completed passes to get 1st and goal. They were looking at 2nd down, goal to go, at the one and ran. 3rd down, goal to go, at the one and ran. Tua takes a sack on fourth down. Is it the last play you're calling cute?
I don't get this cute bit because it didn't seem that way to me.
There are two other drives that went without a score but I didn't find the play calling out of the norm. That first one isn't part of the red zone conversation, right?
The RZ efficiency for this team has been great all year. This Clemson game, a weird one, didn't strike me as the team doing something dramatically different.
BamaFan334
Member
Looking back here for a little context:
To start, in the first half we saw five possessions with two INT's and two TD's (and a FG) with both turnovers around mid-field. The penalty killed the drive on the field goal after they'd called several running plays in a row. There wasn't any getting cute there that I observed.
With the game well out of hand Bama lost a possession on downs inside the red zone. They weren't getting fancy in my view. I recall several runs and a few completed passes to get 1st and goal. They were looking at 2nd down, goal to go, at the one and ran. 3rd down, goal to go, at the one and ran. Tua takes a sack on fourth down. Is it the last play you're calling cute?
I don't get this cute bit because it didn't seem that way to me.
There are two other drives that went without a score but I didn't find the play calling out of the norm. That first one isn't part of the red zone conversation, right?
The RZ efficiency for this team has been great all year. This Clemson game, a weird one, didn't strike me as the team doing something dramatically different.
I was really bothered by the shovel pass to Damien Harris on the goal line. Instead of cramming it down their throats or something like a play action with the tight end like earlier in the game, we basically allow the best part of their team to go unblocked and make a play effectively killing a scoring drive we desperately needed. Tried to get cute with the fake field goal that was an absolute train wreck. Totally out of the norm. Why not just run an offensive play since we drove on them all night long? You have to think with our athletes on offense we had a much higher probability to make the yard to gain that way instead of trying to trick them. It looked about as pathetic as Georgia's attempt in the SEC Championship. QB sneak on 4th down on the goal line as well at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Another pulling play where their best defensive players go untouched to what I perceive being the short side of the field for a bunch of jumble being completely ineffective. In all of those instances it wasn't trickeration that got our boys to this point in the season. It was continuing to shoot our shot and use our athletes, not "hoping we can trick them".
The onside pooch in the first Alabama-Clemson Championship game was genius, because like Saban, I saw the momentum needing to swing and that was a the correct moment to pull something like that. In these games we were in trouble because we were never putting any pressure on Lawrence and their receivers made plays. The only way we could have continued to stay with them if the defense remained the same was to be who we were all year long. Lawrence didn't beat us, no matter what the self-fulfilling media wants to say and crown him. Ross and Higgins beat us with their amazing catches. Etienne added some nice running as well, but it all came on the backs of our defensive coaching staff. Anyways, those plays above that I mentioned were just gas on the fire, a team we had not been all season, and it showed.
I once coached in a HS game similar to this. We held a 450+ to 165 total offense advantage, yet we trailed 8-0 with 2 minutes left in the game. They had scored on a busted play from 70 yards out for the only points. The football gods rewarded us though in those final 2 minutes. On 3rd down, they threw a pass that was incomplete and then snapped the ball over the punters head and through the end zone for a safety. We returned the free kick down to the 20 and scored 3 plays later to tie it and set up the win on the PAT. Our heavyset kicker punched it through for the W, 9-8. Wild night!!! Just wish the gods had done the same back in January.
bradenob
Member
Now you've depressed me for the weekend... thanks.....
XXL TideFan
Member
Brutish bastard are you?
Tidestalker
Member
Great video from practice. I forgot how big and athletic Foristall is... If he stays healthy, we are in business! RTR
Tidestalker
Member
Guessing there is a scrimmage today?! And updates would be appreciated.... 
BamaFan334
Member
JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
Member
Saw this on the Rant...lets hope for the best
quote:
INJURY UPDATE: Alabama’s starting RT Jedrick Wills apparently suffered some sort of injury to his Achilles and/or ankle during the team’s second scrimmage today. More updates will be given as we find out more. @TDAlabamaMag
quote:
INJURY UPDATE: Alabama’s starting RT Jedrick Wills apparently suffered some sort of injury to his Achilles and/or ankle during the team’s second scrimmage today. More updates will be given as we find out more. @TDAlabamaMag
SCHITT
RTB Twitter Bot
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planomateo
Member
Wow, very much.
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