PhillyGirl
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http://bamahammer.com/2015/07/23/saban-nfl-squad/
It’s no secret that Nick Saban is the cream of the crop when it comes to getting guys to the NFL. Since Saban arrived in 2007 the Crimson Tide have had 48(!!!) players drafted and countless others signed as un-drafted free agents. That’s pure lunacy.
When I’m glued to NFL Red Zone in the fall and see some of these Alabama products pop up I always wonder what an All Alabama team of Saban guys would look like. So I’ve set out to create that team. For the purposes of this exercise each player must have played in an NFL game and executed a meaningful stat. Therefore there won’t be any rookies on the team, and guys like AJ McCarron who haven’t logged any game action yet won’t be eligible either. Sorry AJ!
A few other rules here; this is not based on what these guys did in college but rather what they’ve done and are doing in the NFL. So you’re probably not going to see the Trent Richardson’s of the world on here. Saban didn’t have to recruit these guys, as long as they played under him at Alabama they’ll be eligible. There will be a starting 11 on offense and defense, and the defense will be based on a 3-4 scheme. All numbers and stats come from www.pro-football-reference.com.
So without further adieu; here is the All-Alabama Saban-Coached NFL Team:
Offense:
QB – Greg McElroy (New York Jets): As most of you know, Greg has retired from the NFL and now does great work for the SEC Network. However, McElroy is the only Alabama QB under Saban to log any meaningful time in the NFL. He came on in relief for the Jets against the Cardinals in 2012 to lead a game winning TD drive; which earned him a start in the next game against the Chargers. McElroy lost his only start going 14 for 24 with 185 yards and 1 interception.
RB1 – Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers): Lacy was the easy choice for RB1 here as he has been the most successful of the Bama running backs thus far in the NFL. Lacy was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013. He followed that up with a great 2014 in which he rushed for 1139 yards and 9 touchdowns. Many fantasy football boards have Lacy as their top rated player for 2015; not too shabby.
RB2 – Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints): It looks like Ingram is finally starting to get back in the form that helped him claim the 2009 Heisman trophy. He had career highs in yards (964) and touchdowns (9) last year as the Saints finally gave him a chance to be their feature back.
WR1 – Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons): This may have been the most obvious choice on the whole team. Jones; much like Ingram, had himself a career year last year as well. He had his first 100 reception season (104) and tallied 1593 yards through the air. Julio was also voted to the Pro Bowl and solidified himself as one of the top 5 receivers in the NFL.
WR2 – Kevin Norwood (Seattle Seahawks): I think little to choose from might be an understatement here. Norwood saw limited action in his first year in Seattle as he registered 9 catches for 102 yards. Although I do like where Norwood is headed, something tells me he might not be on this list next year (looking at you Mr. Cooper).
TE – Brad Smelley (Cleveland Browns/Houston Texans/St. Louis Rams): Smelley is the only tight end to qualify for our team in the Saban era. He’s played in 4 games catching 1 pass with the Browns in 2012 for 3 yards. Smelley spent parts of last year on the Rams practice squad and will look to make an impact in 2015.
LT – Andre Smith (Cincinnati Bengals): Although Andre has played mostly RT for the Bengals he’s going to have to shift to the left side for our squad. He got the nod to move to the left based on NFL experience over D.J. Fluker. Smith hasn’t been what some thought he’d be when he was taken 6th overall, but he’s been an above average NFL tackle which is nothing to scoff at.
LG – James Carpenter (Seattle Seahawks/New York Jets): Carpenter was signed this off-season by the Jets, ending his tenure with the Seahawks. Carpenter has started 39 games so far and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks in 2013.
C – Antoine Caldwell (Houston Texans): Caldwell is currently a free agent but he does have some NFL service to his credit. From 2009 – 2012 he started 19 games with the Texans, at center and at right guard.
RG – Chance Warmack (Tennessee Titans): Warmack is currently the starting right guard for the Titans and was one of their better lineman last year. He’s started all 32 games for the Titans since being drafted 10th overall in 2013.
RT – D.J. Fluker (San Diego Chargers): Fluker; who was drafted 1 spot behind Warmack in 2013 has started 31 games so far in his NFL career. He has been a standout on the Chargers O-Line and he looks to build on that success even more in 2015.
Defense:
DL – Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills): Dareus has been an absolute stud so far for the Bills. He was a first team All-Pro in 2014 and has been a pro bowler the past 2 seasons. He’ll have to sit out the first game of 2015, but after that look for him to continue wreaking havoc on NFL offenses.
DL – Wallace Gilberry (Kansas City Chiefs/Cincinnati Bengals): Believe it or not Gilberry was actually undrafted coming out of Alabama in 2008; after playing 1 year under coach Saban. He started his career with the Chiefs and has since moved on to the Bengals where he started all 16 games last year.
DL – Josh Chapman (Indianapolis Colts): Chapman has spent the past two seasons on the Colts defensive line. He’s played in 29 games and started 15 of those. All 15 of Chapman’s starts came last year and he looks to be a big part of the Colts defense in 2015 as they hope to make a Super Bowl run.
LB – C.J Mosley (Baltimore Ravens): Mosley was picked by the Ravens with the 17th pick in the 2014 draft and I can assure you they’re quite happy with the pick. Mosley started all 16 games as a rookie for the Ravens and even made the Pro Bowl. Look for Mosley to continue his success in 2015 and insert his name into elite linebacker conversations.
LB – Dont’a Hightower (New England Patriots): Super Bowl Champion Dont’a Hightower; has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Hightower was an important part of a Patriots defense that beat the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl in 2014. We partly have Dont’a to thank for the summer of Gronk, which I greatly appreciate. Hightower is coming off an off-season shoulder surgery and hopes to be back for week one in 2015.
LB – Rolando McClain (Oakland Raiders/Dallas Cowboys): McClain was an anchor on a Cowboys defense that surprised a lot of people in 2014. Rolo started 13 games last season after retiring in 2013. He’ll miss the first 4 games of 2015 due to a suspension but he should return to a starting role upon completing his suspension.
LB – Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore Ravens): Upshaw marks the second Ravens linebacker to check in on our team. After an up and down year one; Upshaw has solidified a starting spot with the Ravens, and looks to build on that in 2015.
CB Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans): Jackson is coming off another solid season with the Texans where he had 3 interceptions and started 13 games. He’s probably been the most successful corner in the league under Saban and will try to continue that trend going forward.
CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Cincinnati Bengals): Dre Kirk finally started to blossom as an NFL corner at the end of last season; including two interceptions against future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. He also started in their 2014 playoff game and he’ll be a big part of the Bengals D as they look to make a 5th straight playoff appearance.
FS – Rashad Johnson (Arizona Cardinals): From walk-on to NFL starter; talk about a great story. Johnson started all 16 games for the first time in his six-year NFL career in 2014; not bad for a guy who lost part of a finger mid-game the year before.
SS – Mark Barron (Tampa Bay Buccaneers/St. Louis Rams): Barron is the guy who has probably surprised me the most since leaving The Capstone. He’s been a fine player thus far in his career but I really expected him to be on a Hall of Fame path by now. Barron was traded mid-season last year to the Rams where he only started 2 of 9 games. He’ll look to get back in the starting rotation in 2015 and hopefully start to look more like he did while rocking the Crimson and White.
Obviously the offense is the weaker of the two squads, but I still think this unit is capable of putting up points. We’d probably be a little more run heavy, but with Julio all things are possible. Looking ahead, this squad will probably have a newcomer or two in 2016 and hopefully McCarron can get some reps to solidify the QB spot a little more.
On to the defense, which is pretty damn horrifying if you ask me. I may be looking at this through my crimson colored Costas but that looks like a top 2-3 NFL defense to me. You’re not going to run on that group; like ever. You may get some yards through the air but I don’t know that it’d be enough to run up the score on this squad. Again, I’d look for a newcomer or two on this side of the ball as well. Possibly Landon Collins and maybe Dee Milliner to help sure up that secondary.
In review, the All Alabama Saban Coached Team checks out to be a pretty solid squad. Obviously we’re not factoring in depth, but considering starters only this looks like a borderline playoff team to me. Not too bad for a team coached by 1 guy at 1 university over 8 years.
Roll Tide my friends, we’re only 43 days away!
It’s no secret that Nick Saban is the cream of the crop when it comes to getting guys to the NFL. Since Saban arrived in 2007 the Crimson Tide have had 48(!!!) players drafted and countless others signed as un-drafted free agents. That’s pure lunacy.
When I’m glued to NFL Red Zone in the fall and see some of these Alabama products pop up I always wonder what an All Alabama team of Saban guys would look like. So I’ve set out to create that team. For the purposes of this exercise each player must have played in an NFL game and executed a meaningful stat. Therefore there won’t be any rookies on the team, and guys like AJ McCarron who haven’t logged any game action yet won’t be eligible either. Sorry AJ!
A few other rules here; this is not based on what these guys did in college but rather what they’ve done and are doing in the NFL. So you’re probably not going to see the Trent Richardson’s of the world on here. Saban didn’t have to recruit these guys, as long as they played under him at Alabama they’ll be eligible. There will be a starting 11 on offense and defense, and the defense will be based on a 3-4 scheme. All numbers and stats come from www.pro-football-reference.com.
So without further adieu; here is the All-Alabama Saban-Coached NFL Team:
Offense:
QB – Greg McElroy (New York Jets): As most of you know, Greg has retired from the NFL and now does great work for the SEC Network. However, McElroy is the only Alabama QB under Saban to log any meaningful time in the NFL. He came on in relief for the Jets against the Cardinals in 2012 to lead a game winning TD drive; which earned him a start in the next game against the Chargers. McElroy lost his only start going 14 for 24 with 185 yards and 1 interception.
RB1 – Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers): Lacy was the easy choice for RB1 here as he has been the most successful of the Bama running backs thus far in the NFL. Lacy was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013. He followed that up with a great 2014 in which he rushed for 1139 yards and 9 touchdowns. Many fantasy football boards have Lacy as their top rated player for 2015; not too shabby.
RB2 – Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints): It looks like Ingram is finally starting to get back in the form that helped him claim the 2009 Heisman trophy. He had career highs in yards (964) and touchdowns (9) last year as the Saints finally gave him a chance to be their feature back.
WR1 – Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons): This may have been the most obvious choice on the whole team. Jones; much like Ingram, had himself a career year last year as well. He had his first 100 reception season (104) and tallied 1593 yards through the air. Julio was also voted to the Pro Bowl and solidified himself as one of the top 5 receivers in the NFL.
WR2 – Kevin Norwood (Seattle Seahawks): I think little to choose from might be an understatement here. Norwood saw limited action in his first year in Seattle as he registered 9 catches for 102 yards. Although I do like where Norwood is headed, something tells me he might not be on this list next year (looking at you Mr. Cooper).
TE – Brad Smelley (Cleveland Browns/Houston Texans/St. Louis Rams): Smelley is the only tight end to qualify for our team in the Saban era. He’s played in 4 games catching 1 pass with the Browns in 2012 for 3 yards. Smelley spent parts of last year on the Rams practice squad and will look to make an impact in 2015.
LT – Andre Smith (Cincinnati Bengals): Although Andre has played mostly RT for the Bengals he’s going to have to shift to the left side for our squad. He got the nod to move to the left based on NFL experience over D.J. Fluker. Smith hasn’t been what some thought he’d be when he was taken 6th overall, but he’s been an above average NFL tackle which is nothing to scoff at.
LG – James Carpenter (Seattle Seahawks/New York Jets): Carpenter was signed this off-season by the Jets, ending his tenure with the Seahawks. Carpenter has started 39 games so far and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks in 2013.
C – Antoine Caldwell (Houston Texans): Caldwell is currently a free agent but he does have some NFL service to his credit. From 2009 – 2012 he started 19 games with the Texans, at center and at right guard.
RG – Chance Warmack (Tennessee Titans): Warmack is currently the starting right guard for the Titans and was one of their better lineman last year. He’s started all 32 games for the Titans since being drafted 10th overall in 2013.
RT – D.J. Fluker (San Diego Chargers): Fluker; who was drafted 1 spot behind Warmack in 2013 has started 31 games so far in his NFL career. He has been a standout on the Chargers O-Line and he looks to build on that success even more in 2015.
Defense:
DL – Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills): Dareus has been an absolute stud so far for the Bills. He was a first team All-Pro in 2014 and has been a pro bowler the past 2 seasons. He’ll have to sit out the first game of 2015, but after that look for him to continue wreaking havoc on NFL offenses.
DL – Wallace Gilberry (Kansas City Chiefs/Cincinnati Bengals): Believe it or not Gilberry was actually undrafted coming out of Alabama in 2008; after playing 1 year under coach Saban. He started his career with the Chiefs and has since moved on to the Bengals where he started all 16 games last year.
DL – Josh Chapman (Indianapolis Colts): Chapman has spent the past two seasons on the Colts defensive line. He’s played in 29 games and started 15 of those. All 15 of Chapman’s starts came last year and he looks to be a big part of the Colts defense in 2015 as they hope to make a Super Bowl run.
LB – C.J Mosley (Baltimore Ravens): Mosley was picked by the Ravens with the 17th pick in the 2014 draft and I can assure you they’re quite happy with the pick. Mosley started all 16 games as a rookie for the Ravens and even made the Pro Bowl. Look for Mosley to continue his success in 2015 and insert his name into elite linebacker conversations.
LB – Dont’a Hightower (New England Patriots): Super Bowl Champion Dont’a Hightower; has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Hightower was an important part of a Patriots defense that beat the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl in 2014. We partly have Dont’a to thank for the summer of Gronk, which I greatly appreciate. Hightower is coming off an off-season shoulder surgery and hopes to be back for week one in 2015.
LB – Rolando McClain (Oakland Raiders/Dallas Cowboys): McClain was an anchor on a Cowboys defense that surprised a lot of people in 2014. Rolo started 13 games last season after retiring in 2013. He’ll miss the first 4 games of 2015 due to a suspension but he should return to a starting role upon completing his suspension.
LB – Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore Ravens): Upshaw marks the second Ravens linebacker to check in on our team. After an up and down year one; Upshaw has solidified a starting spot with the Ravens, and looks to build on that in 2015.
CB Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans): Jackson is coming off another solid season with the Texans where he had 3 interceptions and started 13 games. He’s probably been the most successful corner in the league under Saban and will try to continue that trend going forward.
CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Cincinnati Bengals): Dre Kirk finally started to blossom as an NFL corner at the end of last season; including two interceptions against future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. He also started in their 2014 playoff game and he’ll be a big part of the Bengals D as they look to make a 5th straight playoff appearance.
FS – Rashad Johnson (Arizona Cardinals): From walk-on to NFL starter; talk about a great story. Johnson started all 16 games for the first time in his six-year NFL career in 2014; not bad for a guy who lost part of a finger mid-game the year before.
SS – Mark Barron (Tampa Bay Buccaneers/St. Louis Rams): Barron is the guy who has probably surprised me the most since leaving The Capstone. He’s been a fine player thus far in his career but I really expected him to be on a Hall of Fame path by now. Barron was traded mid-season last year to the Rams where he only started 2 of 9 games. He’ll look to get back in the starting rotation in 2015 and hopefully start to look more like he did while rocking the Crimson and White.
Obviously the offense is the weaker of the two squads, but I still think this unit is capable of putting up points. We’d probably be a little more run heavy, but with Julio all things are possible. Looking ahead, this squad will probably have a newcomer or two in 2016 and hopefully McCarron can get some reps to solidify the QB spot a little more.
On to the defense, which is pretty damn horrifying if you ask me. I may be looking at this through my crimson colored Costas but that looks like a top 2-3 NFL defense to me. You’re not going to run on that group; like ever. You may get some yards through the air but I don’t know that it’d be enough to run up the score on this squad. Again, I’d look for a newcomer or two on this side of the ball as well. Possibly Landon Collins and maybe Dee Milliner to help sure up that secondary.
In review, the All Alabama Saban Coached Team checks out to be a pretty solid squad. Obviously we’re not factoring in depth, but considering starters only this looks like a borderline playoff team to me. Not too bad for a team coached by 1 guy at 1 university over 8 years.
Roll Tide my friends, we’re only 43 days away!
