Picture Me Roundtablin'
by Todd on Jun 10, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
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Print1. Other than the contest against Little Brother, what do you think is a "must-win" for Alabama this season?
As much as I hate to say this, but how about Arkansas State? Seriously people, the embarassing November collapses to State, LSU, and Auburn are bad enough, but did we really need the added humiliation of a home loss to one of the worst teams in the worst conference in the country? No, we didn't. And we're right back in the same situation with a trap game against an "inferior" opponent late in the season that should be an easy breather. The Indians Red Wolves have a back to back 1000 yard season rusher in Reggie Arnold and a mobile quarterback in Corey Leonard, the kind of combo that got the Warhawks an upset win last season. Just ask Texas, who escaped with a 21-13 win after allowing 397 yards (57 more than the Longhorns could gain) and ten points in the fourth while being shutout in the final quarter, and Tennessee, who gave up 178 yards rushing (130 of them to Arnold) in their 48-27 win, how seriously we should be taking them. And honestly, we need to be taking everyone on the slate seriously, since finally actually beating all the teams we are SUPPOSED to beat in a season is the first step we need to take in order to get back to contending for the SEC.
2. Every year there seems to be a player that no one is really talking about pre-season that garners accolades by the end of the year. Who will that be for Alabama this year?
Mike Johnson. He struggled at RT (why must we keep saying that year after year?!?! WHY?!?!!!11), but he's a mean run blocker and the move to LG should really make him an asset on the offensive line, and hopefully he can garner some hype for himself.
3. In your opinion, how many true freshmen will start against Clemson? How many will start against Little Brother?
In the opener, I wouldn't think more than three will be starting, but I do think we'll see a good handful by the end of the game in certain situations. One or two of the big time linebacker recruits (Harris or Hightower maybe) will more than likely get on the field out of outright necessity, and we may even see another true freshman starting in the secondary although I think Jackson, Johnson, and Woodall are fairly secure while I also believe the staff will give Arenas every opportunity to prove himself because of his work ethic and the fact that he stuck around and bought into their philosophy after considering quitting because he never thought he'd be more than a kick returner at Alabama. I do believe that a lot of them will get on the field in that game, though, especially on the d-line where depth and size are so lacking, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find the tackle and end positions with new starters by the middle of the season.
4. Pick one player on offense and one on defense and give a match up with an opponent that you are really looking forward to watching this season.
Kareem Jackson vs Mohamed Massaquoi. Jackson's efforts against the Vols last season was one of the highlights of the year, and the Dawgs have a solid receiving corps this year. Let's see if he can have another game where his defensive efforts help snatchs victory from what looks like certain defeat before the game even starts.
Darius Hanks/Nick Walker (or whoever is going over the middle) vs Eric Berry. Berry got picked on a lot last year because of his youth, but he grew into his role and has turned into one of the best DBs in the league. Hopefully he'll hit a sophomore slump before this year's Third Saturday in October.
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| I suppose we got away with it enough last season we might as well do it again this year. |
5. What, if any, SEC school’s head coach will be out after this season?
The only coach I could see being on the hot seat right now is Fulmer, but after making it to Atlanta and scoring a convincing win in a New Year's Day Bowl to finish the season he's bought himself another couple of years (barring a total collapse, of course). If the Vols finish the regular season around 8-4 (which they might, but 10-2 or even 11-1 are just as likely), there will be calls for his head again, but he's built up enough political capital to keep going until the Vols either completely fall apart or he decides to step down on his own.
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Great responses...
And you nailed it on the Arkansas State game, that’s a pretty solid team, and we better show up ready to play, or we’ll get ULM’d again.
by outsidethesidelines on Jun 10, 2008 11:55 AM CDT reply actions
Excellent
1. Completely surprised me, and is completely true….great point about our recent late-season collapses. I’d also throw Mississippi State into the mix, because I can’t imagine losing to them 3 times in a row, with numbers 1 and 3 being at home.
2. If A-day is anything to go by, I’d pick whoever ends up being our starting Tight End. The dink-and-dunk style of Coach Mac has a chance to utilize them quite a bit more.
3. I think you nailed it: “starting” is different from “significant playing time”, which should see several Freshmen getting on the field early and often, particularly on defense. However, I think you can count on Burton Scott and Julio seeing a lot of action against Clemson…as well as whichever frosh running back distances himself from the rest of the class.
4. Excellent points, and again with the unexpectedness :). Although it’ll be interesting to see how McClain stands up against Clemson’s two-headed monster right out of the gate.
5. I think Rich Brooks already has plans to retire, if I’m not mistaken…which is a gimmie. Although if Sly tanks it this year, after raising the bar last year, he could be on the hot seat again.
Again, great post!
The more I think about it...
...if someone like Terrence Cody can immediately step in to provide the size we have so desperately needed in the middle, and Greenwood, Deaderick, and McCullough (who moved over from DT) have developed into 3-4 ends after a full season and another spring and fall to get it down, the bleeding might not be that bad against the run. We’ve got speed, if inexperience, at LB (well, except at Jack, but hopefully that’s where a freshman or a previous unknown like Fanney can make an impact), plus we’re looking at running a ton of nickel coverage so that’s just more speed (SEC!) to get to the edges….GOD I WISH IT WAS FOOTBALL SEASON RIGHT NOWWWWWW!
I'd love to see that happen
but color me skeptical about Cody. Nothing specific: just a few rumblings from last year during recruiting and a general bad feeling. I really, really hope he pans out….not only for our obvious need on the d-line, but also because he seems (from everything l’ve read) like a sweet kid. I think a lot of it’s gonna depend on how the off season conditioning goes for him, but I don’t see how we’d get more than 15-20 plays a game out of him at his present size.
Your point is well taken, though….it’s one of the reasons I was desperately hoping Kerry Murphy would qualify.
Cody and the run defense...
The run defense was actually pretty good last year, and should be solid again this year as well. The defensive line might not be spectacular, but it’s pretty stout, and solid against the run. The linebacker corps too played it pretty well, and as long as Rolando McClain stays healthy I think they’ll do well again this year. It won’t be a great run defense, but it will be pretty good.
Cody, on the other hand, is an interesting prospect. He’s a huge kid, and he’s not going to be an every-down player. As I’ve said before, he’s going to be a situational player who will come in on running downs, but no one should necessarily think that to be a major negative. He may only play 15-25 snaps per game, but the contribution on those snaps could be simply huge. Even if Cody only plays 15-25 snaps per game, if he can help anchor one of the top run defenses in the league, then obviously he has earned his spot.
by outsidethesidelines on Jun 10, 2008 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Cody
I think of his as a filler…we had a guy like him in high school, and he just plugged holes to disrupt the run. I know that was high school and this is college, but fundamentally it’s still the same. If 15-25 plays is what we need I’m sure we can get that from him. Plus, from reading about him he can move good for his size. I say all pluses for us in the long run until we can get more quality depth. Good replies Todd, enjoyed reading it! RTR!
"Stallings, some days I like you. Some days I don't. Get your head out of your butt." The Bear to Stallings during a game at A&M.
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