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Yeldon didn't share time with Henry in 2012, he shared time with Lacy. Henry's Frosh year was 2013.
He wore both houndstooth and plaid hats. A simple Google Images search can prove this.
There's Fournette and Chubb, then everyone else. Elliott is a good back but absolutely not on the level of Fournette and Chubb. Greenberg doesn't even believe it, he's just being the antithesis to the majority for the sake of ratings and an argument.
He has played a lot against Bama and actually played better than Nkemdiche last year. Gross also adds depth which is a must when playing a run heavy team. Nkemdiche has yet to give Bama fits but that doesn't take away him being a good player and a future 1st rounder. But when you look at the DL as a whole I believe Bama has the edge with Gross out. I would give a push as previously stated due to the fact of depth and he seems to have Bama's #.
I agree with everything but the DL. Bama has the edge there. Ole Miss is missing their other big guy up front. Nkemdiche alone isn't enough to justify a push. If you guys had Isaac Gross then yes that's a push there but missing him is a huge blow. Everything else is correct.
My list would be 1. LSU- Classic, sharp look that's easily recognizable. 2. Bama- Tradition. There shouldn't be any change to them. It should always sport the grey mask, white stripe and #'s. 3. Gators- The Gators just do it right with their helmet. 4- Mizzou(matte black with enlarged yellow tiger)- Their standard helmet with oval logo just doesn't look good to me but the enlarged tiger head looks amazing. I also love the blacked out helmet they rock on occasion. 5. Auburn- I really don't care for the chrome look they have as an alternate this year but their standard helt is also another classic look thats unmistakable. 6. TAMU(white w/ maroon logo)- Some teams' logos look better in a white helmet and A&M's is one of those. Love that look, especially when they go all white on the uni's as well. 7. Tennessee- I may be in the minority that prefers the white with orange power T over the new Smokey gray helmet. It's another classic. 8. Georgia- Their helmet is a nice look but I would personally like to see a gray facemask to match the pants and contrast with the helmet. They used have one and I think it would be a nice throwback. 9. Ole Miss- I prefer the light blue with gray mask over the all blue but both are good looking options. 10. Vandy(deep water)- I'm not a fan of the star with V but the anchor on that black and silver graphic looks really nice. They should've stuck with a plain back facemask because the gold chrome is a little much but it looks good nonetheless.
There's a lot of Q's on this Bama team but there's also a lot of talent as well so hopefully they can stay true to the "We just reload" motto. I think A&M definitely has talent and Sumlin has done a nice job recruiting but they did get thrown into a better conference and within a division that is very competitive from top to bottom so he hasn't had much to show for it so I would say he's a couple years out from a raise. I think I'm in the minority that isn't drinking the Malzahn/Muschamp koolaid. I just haven't been very impressed with his defenses, though I haven't compiled the stats from all of his D's from his coordinator days. Also I think Johnson is a good QB but to compare him to Newton or label him the face of the SEC is asinine and jumping the gun a little. I'd still label that pos as a question mark for the Tigers. LSU is closer to 6-6 than 12-0 just due to the fact that there won't be a team from the SEC much less the West go undefeated this year. They have talent but Q's at OL, QB, and DL hurt teams in the SEC down the stretch. Answering the question about the gap between the East and West is kind of a loaded question. I think the top tier of the East can stand toe to toe with anybody in college football. Once you drop off to the 2nd tier I think that's where you see some separation between them as in who finishes last in the West will absolutely beat who finishes last in the East. I absolutely can't wait for Football this season! It can't get here fast enough! Hopefully we have a good clean year and everyone can stay healthy so we can see some great football!
I'm going to tip my hat to you sir for another outstanding article! I look forward to reading everything you write that pertains to Bama football (not that I dislike anything you do, I'm just a Bama fan.) I've been saying that Scarbrough reminds me of a leaner Fowler with his versatility. Fowler put that on display at the Senior Bowl and I believe it is going to earn him a nice salary and a long career in the league barring any injuries of course. He's a mismatch nightmare for D-coordinators. Line him up in shotgun bedside the QB which will most definitely have an ILB assigned to him for coverage then a quick motion out to the Slot and you have a potential big play on your hands. I love mismatches. Football at that level and beyond basically becomes a chess game and whoever utilizes their pieces in the most efficient way usually wins. I'm liking Bama's chess pieces for this next year. Looking forward to the season! Roll Tide!
I've been hoping this would happen for a few weeks now that we've been hearing the rumblings that he would decommit. Opens up a spot for some other guys at OT and WR.
I love your articles Murf. I love the video evidence that you provide along with your argument. You're very football savvy and know what you're looking at when you watch a game. Bama was missing a powerful between the tackles runner this year. Even Yeldon, our go to guy between the tackles and in the red zone is a zone back. I believe that was part of the reason why our rush offense was anemic up the middle this year. Don't get me wrong I love the explosive plays and busting a big outside run but you need the 3-4 yard gains up the middle too to wear a defense out and remove their will to play any longer. I kind of thought Fowler could've been that guy and he was underutilized this year. Hopefully with the additions of Scarbrough and Harris we can add a middle attack with the zone cut style of Henry and Drake. Balance is the key I think. I truly believe Bama will be better this year, even with the losses of guys like Cooper, Collins, Yeldon, and Sims. Time to reload and get back into the playoffs again next year.
Part of the issue is these new spread option style offenses try and create 1 on 1 matchups in open space. This nullifies blitz packages because if you blitz you lose bodies to take on blocks and prevent the 1 on 1's. Bama has made a living off of blitz packages the past few years. Its where their pass rush came from. Not bringing the house but adding a safety and linebacker to the 3 lineman and pressuring the QB, which in turn takes pressure off of your DB's in coverage playing Man. They haven't been able to blitz the past 2 years because they have seen this. Another is Sub packages. Saban and Smart love to sub packages in which best defend the current situation ie. big guys on first down and speed guys on third down. The No Huddle allows the Offense to assess what package the Defense has before the snap and change the play to combat their personel. Their scheme works they just need to try and figure out how to disguise blitz's and maybe try and stay away from the huge 330+ DT's and get some more speed. Which it seems they are trying. I also like my middle guys to be sub 240lbs. CJ Mosley is a prime example for the size of guys I like to run in the middle. I think those 2 guys have good enough defensive minds to figure out the right formula for success against the new offenses.
Barnett will get a redshirt. He needs to hit the weights a little. The battle will be between Coker and Bateman. Bateman had a good showing at last years A-Day game so it will be interesting to see his progression after another year. Coker has the hype and was the backup to Sims so he can obviously play. It looks like Cornwell may get caught in between and either transfer or stick it out as a backup but you never know with these things. Just look at what Sims did this year.
Kiffin did not do a fine job at play calling. When your RB is 6'3" 245lbs and has 8 yards per carry but has less than 20 carries and you haven't gotten the passing game going all game AND you're leading 21-6. RUN THE FOOTBALL. They went 3 and out multiple times and didn't get a chance to drain the clock and give the defense a rest. Sometimes the other guys have your # in one aspect of the game. Thus time they shut the passing game down. But they didn't shut down the run. Bama just didn't adjust their game plan and Meyer did. Bottom line Bama got out coached.
Would love to have Kendall Sheffield and CeCe Jefferson but if I had to only pick one I'd go with Jerfferson. I feel Bama needs an elite DE in this class
Sims has played well and I think its too early to tell whether either one of them can lead Bama to the title game much less the playoffs. Time will tell. I do think Coker's potential is much higher than Sims', but I'm not disappointed in Sims' play at all. He has played well and I will be happy with either one of them and I think Bama is lucky to have 2 QBs of their skill level. It was apparent why Sims is the starter right now because he's more familiar with the offense. Coker was a bit jittery at first but it has been almost 2 years since he's played so that's understandable. Coker isn't stationary but he doesn't move like Sims does. Sims has the ability to not only keep a play alive but create one with his feet. They both bring something to the table and we will see in a couple of weeks, when SEC play begins, who will call signals for the rest of the year.