BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
This was an important week of practice for Alabama’s defensive backs.
They face their first serious challenge Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium against Florida in the Crimson Tide’s SEC opener.
Coach Nick Saban will call upon younger players such as cornerback Tony Brown and safety Geno Smith to help the defense face the conference’s No. 2 offense (593.5 yards a game) and No. 2 passing offense (345.5 yards a game).
The Gators have played well in winning their first two games. Saban worries because they are healthier than last season and have a veteran quarterback in Jeff Driskel.
“Regardless of what anybody thinks, they’ll be as talented probably as anybody that we play this year,” Saban said. “It’s going to be important that our players play their very best.”
Alabama’s concerns grew during last week’s win over Southern Miss. Starting free safety Nick Perry was ejected in the third quarter for a targeting foul and must sit out the first half Saturday.
That means Smith, an inexperienced junior, takes his place.
“Geno has been working really hard each and every week,” cornerback Cyrus Jones said.
Regular backup and multi-purpose safety Jarrick Williams is still at least a week away from returning from foot surgery, but he’s ahead of schedule. Veteran Landon Collins plans to expand his leadership role to help Smith.
Saban thinks with Collins in the backfield, the rest of the defensive backs can follow his lead and still excel.
“First of all, he’s a very good player,” Saban said.
“Second thing, he’s a very good person who’s a good leader who affects other people who has a pretty good knowledge and understanding of what we do. His experience and confidence affect other players in a positive way.”
The Crimson Tide’s other issue is at cornerback. Eddie Jackson just returned from spring ACL surgery and was playing well in parts of two games, but suffered a quadriceps strain last week.
He was been limited during the week of practice. That promoted Brown into a more prominent role. And if Jackson plays, it may not be for the entire game again.
“Tony’s definitely improving, definitely getting better,” Saban said. “I think the opportunities that he’s had to play in the last two games have been good for his development and his confidence. He will play a lot in this game.”
Complicating matters is Florida’s Demarcus Robinson, the nation’s third-leading receiver, whom Bama’s cornerbacks must contain. He has 21 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns in two games.
“He’s a really good player,” Jones said.
“One of the bigger guys, he’s 6-2. He can run, is physical and athletic, goes up and gets the ball. I definitely have to, we have to, try and stay in front of him, try and get our hands on him a little bit and mess up the timing when they try and do timing routes with the quarterback.”
Using Brown may be the counter to Robinson. Jones is 5-10, while Brown is a little bigger at 6-0 and thicker.
Robinson, however, is moved around frequently so no one defensive back covers him.
The defensive backs are still looking for their first interception of the season. They’ve only been in position to break up eight passes.
A interception in this game could lead to a turning point and be a confidence booster for a secondary that’s still a work in progress.
“We’re trying our best to get the ball out, fumbles,” Collins said. “And that’s what Coach has been getting on us about — getting turnovers and getting the ball.”
Decatur Daily—Continue reading...
They face their first serious challenge Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium against Florida in the Crimson Tide’s SEC opener.
Coach Nick Saban will call upon younger players such as cornerback Tony Brown and safety Geno Smith to help the defense face the conference’s No. 2 offense (593.5 yards a game) and No. 2 passing offense (345.5 yards a game).
The Gators have played well in winning their first two games. Saban worries because they are healthier than last season and have a veteran quarterback in Jeff Driskel.
“Regardless of what anybody thinks, they’ll be as talented probably as anybody that we play this year,” Saban said. “It’s going to be important that our players play their very best.”
Alabama’s concerns grew during last week’s win over Southern Miss. Starting free safety Nick Perry was ejected in the third quarter for a targeting foul and must sit out the first half Saturday.
That means Smith, an inexperienced junior, takes his place.
“Geno has been working really hard each and every week,” cornerback Cyrus Jones said.
Regular backup and multi-purpose safety Jarrick Williams is still at least a week away from returning from foot surgery, but he’s ahead of schedule. Veteran Landon Collins plans to expand his leadership role to help Smith.
Saban thinks with Collins in the backfield, the rest of the defensive backs can follow his lead and still excel.
“First of all, he’s a very good player,” Saban said.
“Second thing, he’s a very good person who’s a good leader who affects other people who has a pretty good knowledge and understanding of what we do. His experience and confidence affect other players in a positive way.”
The Crimson Tide’s other issue is at cornerback. Eddie Jackson just returned from spring ACL surgery and was playing well in parts of two games, but suffered a quadriceps strain last week.
He was been limited during the week of practice. That promoted Brown into a more prominent role. And if Jackson plays, it may not be for the entire game again.
“Tony’s definitely improving, definitely getting better,” Saban said. “I think the opportunities that he’s had to play in the last two games have been good for his development and his confidence. He will play a lot in this game.”
Complicating matters is Florida’s Demarcus Robinson, the nation’s third-leading receiver, whom Bama’s cornerbacks must contain. He has 21 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns in two games.
“He’s a really good player,” Jones said.
“One of the bigger guys, he’s 6-2. He can run, is physical and athletic, goes up and gets the ball. I definitely have to, we have to, try and stay in front of him, try and get our hands on him a little bit and mess up the timing when they try and do timing routes with the quarterback.”
Using Brown may be the counter to Robinson. Jones is 5-10, while Brown is a little bigger at 6-0 and thicker.
Robinson, however, is moved around frequently so no one defensive back covers him.
The defensive backs are still looking for their first interception of the season. They’ve only been in position to break up eight passes.
A interception in this game could lead to a turning point and be a confidence booster for a secondary that’s still a work in progress.
“We’re trying our best to get the ball out, fumbles,” Collins said. “And that’s what Coach has been getting on us about — getting turnovers and getting the ball.”
Decatur Daily—Continue reading...
