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Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
Alabama hasn't had much good fortune with the health of its linebackers in 2017.
The frankly bizarre rash of linebacker injuries continued Monday with Dylan Moses going down. This snake bit positional group lost four players in the season opener and has been practically fighting from behind all fall.
There's a silver lining to it all as the Crimson Tide officially shifted to Sugar Bowl game planning Tuesday.
The layoff from the Nov. 25 Iron Bowl loss to Auburn has added gas to the tank of the three linebackers who returned from extended absences for the regular-season finale. Mack Wilson will obviously have a bigger role without Moses in the middle while outside linebackers Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller are in better position to perform in the Jan. 1 semifinal.
Nick Saban on Friday said Wilson wasn't participating in the full practice but was improving from the foot injury against LSU.
Rashaan Evans, the other middle linebacker who had injury issues throughout the season, said the last three practices were some of the team's best.
Production from the outside linebackers has been one of the staggering differences from the 2016 defense. Of the 31 total sacks, only one belongs to an outside linebacker. Reserve Jamey Mosely has the single takedown of an opposing quarterback. Go back a year and that positional group anchored by current NFL players Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams had 18 of the 41 sacks through 12 games.
That's why this current defense needs a productive Sugar Bowl from Lewis and Miller.
"They add depth and versatility, man," Evans said. "That was kind of something I felt like we were missing and I felt like they add those things to our defense. Both of those guys are long, lengthy type athletes and they can get to the ball. Any time you have those two type athletes, it makes the defense that much more dangerous."
Both Lewis and Miller were thought to have been lost for the season when they went down Week 1 against Florida State. Starter Anfernee Jennings also left that game and missed the next two Saturdays with a minor injury.
The almost instant thinning of a heard already regrouping from the departures of quarterback terrors Anderson and Williams left this group in trouble. Former walk-on Mosley stepped into a primary role while the redshirt was burned on freshman Christopher Allen for Week 2 against Fresno State.
Losing the native pass rush from the outside linebackers forced the Tide to take more risks with corner and safety blitzes. That leaves the back end exposed in ways it didn't require with effective pass rushers in the front seven.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick likes what he sees in the re-addition of Lewis and Miller.
"They are a little bit more quicker guys," Fitzpatrick said. "They can rush off the edge a little bit better than the other guys. They can get to the quarterback faster. So, having them back can definitely help us."
Their return to the neighborhood of 100 percent is even more crucial given the athleticism of Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant. Several Alabama defenders have hinted he's even more athletic than Deshaun Watson, the Tiger QB who used his feet quite effectively against the Tide in the previous two national title games.
Managing these last two weeks before kickoff in New Orleans will be crucial for maintaining the positive momentum in the recovery for Lewis, Miller and Wilson.
"They've done a great job with the rehab and being able to do all those little things they've needed to do to get back to playing 100 percent," Evans said. "I feel like they've done that. Even though they have been playing very well these last couple practices, they still want to just take it slow so whenever they do play, they play fast."
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The frankly bizarre rash of linebacker injuries continued Monday with Dylan Moses going down. This snake bit positional group lost four players in the season opener and has been practically fighting from behind all fall.
There's a silver lining to it all as the Crimson Tide officially shifted to Sugar Bowl game planning Tuesday.
The layoff from the Nov. 25 Iron Bowl loss to Auburn has added gas to the tank of the three linebackers who returned from extended absences for the regular-season finale. Mack Wilson will obviously have a bigger role without Moses in the middle while outside linebackers Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller are in better position to perform in the Jan. 1 semifinal.
Nick Saban on Friday said Wilson wasn't participating in the full practice but was improving from the foot injury against LSU.
Rashaan Evans, the other middle linebacker who had injury issues throughout the season, said the last three practices were some of the team's best.
Production from the outside linebackers has been one of the staggering differences from the 2016 defense. Of the 31 total sacks, only one belongs to an outside linebacker. Reserve Jamey Mosely has the single takedown of an opposing quarterback. Go back a year and that positional group anchored by current NFL players Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams had 18 of the 41 sacks through 12 games.
That's why this current defense needs a productive Sugar Bowl from Lewis and Miller.
"They add depth and versatility, man," Evans said. "That was kind of something I felt like we were missing and I felt like they add those things to our defense. Both of those guys are long, lengthy type athletes and they can get to the ball. Any time you have those two type athletes, it makes the defense that much more dangerous."
Both Lewis and Miller were thought to have been lost for the season when they went down Week 1 against Florida State. Starter Anfernee Jennings also left that game and missed the next two Saturdays with a minor injury.
The almost instant thinning of a heard already regrouping from the departures of quarterback terrors Anderson and Williams left this group in trouble. Former walk-on Mosley stepped into a primary role while the redshirt was burned on freshman Christopher Allen for Week 2 against Fresno State.
Losing the native pass rush from the outside linebackers forced the Tide to take more risks with corner and safety blitzes. That leaves the back end exposed in ways it didn't require with effective pass rushers in the front seven.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick likes what he sees in the re-addition of Lewis and Miller.
"They are a little bit more quicker guys," Fitzpatrick said. "They can rush off the edge a little bit better than the other guys. They can get to the quarterback faster. So, having them back can definitely help us."
Their return to the neighborhood of 100 percent is even more crucial given the athleticism of Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant. Several Alabama defenders have hinted he's even more athletic than Deshaun Watson, the Tiger QB who used his feet quite effectively against the Tide in the previous two national title games.
Managing these last two weeks before kickoff in New Orleans will be crucial for maintaining the positive momentum in the recovery for Lewis, Miller and Wilson.
"They've done a great job with the rehab and being able to do all those little things they've needed to do to get back to playing 100 percent," Evans said. "I feel like they've done that. Even though they have been playing very well these last couple practices, they still want to just take it slow so whenever they do play, they play fast."
Continue reading...
