Jumbo Package

The Jumbo Package │08.20.13

Your daily dose of Crimson Tide related links and quotes

By Lah-ell Tawd-Bammar@Lyell_Walker Aug 20, 2013, 8:00am CDT

ESPN writers tackle the question: Can anyone in the SEC beat Alabama? | al.com

One said no. The other said one team could. "I don't think anyone beats them" Low said on ESPN.com. "I think Alabama's too good. I think they're too deep. You hear (defensive coordinator) Kirby Smart say 'last year defensively wasn't up to our standard.' Well, guess what? They were still No. 1 defensively in just about every category." Low talked about the depth at the skills position on offense, and said the Texas A&M game looms large. "I think if they get through that, and I think they will, I think they go unbeaten through the season and go into that SEC Championship Game 12-0. So my answer is nobody stops them."

Y'all really aren't gonna like the article I'm posting in a couple hours..We can be beaten and this team isn't unstoppable.

Alabama post-preseason camp position analysis: the defense and special teams | al.com

The backups: Three promising freshmen have generated plenty of buzz throughout the preseason and all three could be on the field -- in varying capacities -- against Virginia Tech in the season opener. Dee Liner, A'Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Allen already look the part and were the recipients of some hefty praise from Nick Saban one week into camp. Sophomore LaMichael Fanning is back with this group after a two-week experiment at tight end, and he's supposed to help generate some inside pass rush. Sophomore Darren Lake is Ivory's backup and redshirt freshman Dalvin Tomlinson is considered to be a promising pass-rush threat.

We talked about the D-line early in camp as being a possible weakness and I'm glad to admit that assertion was probably wrong. If the veterans play at a high level and the young back ups continue to improve, this defensive line may end up being the best we've seen at Alabama in some time.

Alabama football: Special teams players pushing for playing time | The Montgomery Advertiser | montgomeryadvertiser.com

Cade Foster and Adam Griffith are in competition for the place-kicking duties. Both need more consistency, coach Nick Saban said, but he likes what both can accomplish. Foster hit all four of his field goal attempts with one long one in the first scrimmage of camp and Griffith was 4-for-6 with the ones missed from long distance. "They’ve done a really good job," Saban said. "They’ve been a little more consistent on kickoff, but I’ve been pleased with both of them and I think both are very capable."

Competition is good and I'm glad to see the two went 8-for-10 but I'm still nervous about place kicking this season.

/2011 problems

Alabama football — Smart a crucial part of Tide's success: Defensive coordinator provides stability | The Montgomery Advertiser | montgomeryadvertiser.com

"He has the leadership and development of players being able to implement the system when the game comes to prepare the players to execute the plan to be successful," Saban said. "Those things are examples of what an outstanding coach can do, and Kirby has certainly done that and proven he can do it. I think his energy and enthusiasm has always been at a high level, and he’s been able to sustain that with the players."

Stinson an intimidating presence for Alabama defense | TuscaloosaNews.com

"I am not a really social person," Stinson said at Alabama's Fan Day this month. "I am "I am not a really social person," Ed Stinson said at Alabama's Fan Day this month. "I am not on social media, not on Facebook or Twitter. I am on Instagram, but I mainly post pictures of myself cooking."not on social media, not on Facebook or Twitter. I am on Instagram, but I mainly post pictures of myself cooking."

"It's not all about sacking the passer," Saban said. "If a defensive lineman can push the line of scrimmage back 4 yards so the quarterback can't step up and throw to the middle of the field, you can be a very effective rush without having to sack the quarterback, without having to go for the big play every time." "I just want to play my role in our defense, whatever they tell me," Stinson said.

Emphasis mine..

Saban mentioned after the 2nd scrimmage that the defensive line needed to "play within the system" and it's "not all about sacks". The DL recorded 6 sacks on Saturday yet our coach wasn't happy...How many coaches out there would complain about getting too many sacks?

Tony Barnhart - CBSSports.com Deep receiving corps looks like Alabama's best-ever

So, yes, you need to think about it before using the words "best ever" in the same sentence with Alabama. But here goes. The 2013 Alabama football team will feature the best set of wide receivers in the history of the school. I floated the proposition on a recent trip to Tuscaloosa and no one disagreed. "As a group we can be one of the best that Alabama has ever had," said sophomore Amari Cooper, who burst onto the scene as the big-play man on the 2012 national championship team. "All of us are really good and really fast. All of us know how to make plays."

Please baby jesus let the offensive line gel so we can see this wide receiving and running back corps play to their potential.