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BamaDude
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It's going to be a different kind of year for the University of Alabama. I usually start the pre-season off full of confidence that the Crimson Tide will roll through another season undefeated or with a single loss and then sweep into and through the playoffs once again. This year, I'm not so sure. It's been a different kind of off-season for the Tide.
Nick Saban is used to losing an offensive or defensive coordinator, as well as an assistant or two on a regular basis, but this year he lost all three coordinators, and his main play caller on defense is a little greener than those he has had in the recent pass.
Losing a few players via transfer or injury has been a fairly regular occurance, too. But many of those transfers probably never would have played significant time for the Tide. And multiple injuries on defense was a contributing factor to Alabama's late season swoon in 2017 that saw them struggle against Mississippi St. and lose to Auburn. A lot of the players from the offensive and defensive lines that transferred out over the summer might have been in the regular rotation and added to the Tide's depth at those positions. And the injuries have diminished the depth on the defensive side even further.
This may be the first time since 2010 that Alabama loses as many as two games in the regular season. It happened that year because Alabama was worn out from facing six straight opponents coming off of bye weeks!
Another thing that worries me is the quarterback situation. I know that Jalen Hurts is 26-2 as a starter, but Tua Tagovailoa was the one that pulled that last game out of the fire. Tua hasn't started a game, yet, so we haven't seen him play that much. We don't know how many of those 16-yard sacks might come out of him. But we do know he can go through the progression of finding open receivers and zinging the ball to them better than Jalen. This QB situation could work to our advantage, though, since teams will have to prepare for each quarterback differently. And if both of them do well & get lots of playing time, that's really going to screw up opponent's defensive plans.
The other concern is a secondary with lots of new faces & very little solid experience. But there are some guys back there that could turn into ball sharks.
I don't have much concern about the opener against Louisville. The Cardinals may score anywhere from 20 to 24 points on the Tide, but I believe puts anywhere from 38 to 45 points on the Louies.
Nick Saban is used to losing an offensive or defensive coordinator, as well as an assistant or two on a regular basis, but this year he lost all three coordinators, and his main play caller on defense is a little greener than those he has had in the recent pass.
Losing a few players via transfer or injury has been a fairly regular occurance, too. But many of those transfers probably never would have played significant time for the Tide. And multiple injuries on defense was a contributing factor to Alabama's late season swoon in 2017 that saw them struggle against Mississippi St. and lose to Auburn. A lot of the players from the offensive and defensive lines that transferred out over the summer might have been in the regular rotation and added to the Tide's depth at those positions. And the injuries have diminished the depth on the defensive side even further.
This may be the first time since 2010 that Alabama loses as many as two games in the regular season. It happened that year because Alabama was worn out from facing six straight opponents coming off of bye weeks!
Another thing that worries me is the quarterback situation. I know that Jalen Hurts is 26-2 as a starter, but Tua Tagovailoa was the one that pulled that last game out of the fire. Tua hasn't started a game, yet, so we haven't seen him play that much. We don't know how many of those 16-yard sacks might come out of him. But we do know he can go through the progression of finding open receivers and zinging the ball to them better than Jalen. This QB situation could work to our advantage, though, since teams will have to prepare for each quarterback differently. And if both of them do well & get lots of playing time, that's really going to screw up opponent's defensive plans.
The other concern is a secondary with lots of new faces & very little solid experience. But there are some guys back there that could turn into ball sharks.
I don't have much concern about the opener against Louisville. The Cardinals may score anywhere from 20 to 24 points on the Tide, but I believe puts anywhere from 38 to 45 points on the Louies.
